She finds the gray. When things are rough, she finds the silver lining. She never forgets that you're not a teenager anymore and even if you say stupid, or insensitive things, she doesn't nag, harp or belittle. She advises you in a way that makes you want to change, want to be nicer, want to be the bigger person. She explains things about life in a way that makes you less angry about things that are unfair. She replenishes your hope in yourself and in the world when your own is getting thin. She is the best listener ever and always says the right thing or sometimes nothing at all, if that is what you need. She KNOWS.
When she is in a room, it's brighter, warmer, happier. And I'm not kidding or being melodramatic (although she would say I am). She has an effect on people that makes them smile, feel better, puts them at ease. She stands up for what she believes in and doesn't let people walk all over her. Even if her hands are shaking.
She can cook a meal that will make you fall in love. She will be the first one on the dance floor and the last one to get off. She'll wrestle with a twelve year old granddaughter then kick your ass at a Racko or Boggle. She'll take you shopping when you need maternity clothes and don't have money to buy any and she'll give you a ride home, even if you are a patient who may or may not have pooped your pants in the front seat.
She'll check up on you to make sure you are handling your grief properly, but she'll quietly make sure she's handling her own as well because she knows she has to, for you. She'll drink too much on an extremely rare occasion and make you laugh so hard you pee a little. She'll donate her time to making the world a better place but she doesn't forget about time for herself because she knows that without the balance, it will all be too much.
She'll rock you to sleep and introduce you to books. She'll teach you how to sew a beanbag and to do the Electric Slide. She'll chime in when you need it and zip it when you don't. She'll take you blueberry picking and then show you how to make jam. She'll let you punch down the dough. She'll cut more bananas for the fruit salad on Christmas morning when everyone is fighting over them. She'll always send you a Valentine's day card and an Easter card, even when you live in the same house. She'll teach you about eating healthy YEARS before it becomes trendy. She'll reassure when you're being a hypochondriac, thinking you have the Rickets, and she'll make you poached eggs and let you stay home from school when you have a truly awful sinus infection.
She is amazing. She is wonderful. She is Love. I hope you know her. If you don't I'm sorry. You should try and meet her. She's the best person I know. Mama Donna. Love you.
