Today is my grandmother, Elizabeth Tuzzio's (Grandma Betty's) birthday. She died in 1993, but she will forever be in my thoughts and memories. She and I spent a lot of time together as I grew up, mostly at her house. She taught me card games that I now teach my oldest son; she made me endless snacks and bowls of macaroni and plates of perfect pancakes; she took me into her room and showed me the clothes in her closet, removing them and folding back the plastic that she kept them in. She told the tales of her life through these clothes, as I sat on her bed taking it all in. I have missed her countless times since she died, but her presence is with me as I raise my children and try to have even a fraction of the patience and compassion she had. She taught me that being a mother (and grandmother) comes first, that girlfriends can and should be an endless source of delight and that pleasure can be taken in the simplest of things -- like hanging clothes out in the backyard (something I watched her do and remember every time I go to my own clothesline). I loved sleeping over at her house and each night I would beg her to sing all the old songs she could remember. This is for her:
Daisy, Daisy give me your answer do
I'm half crazy all for the love of you
It won't be a stylish marriage
I can't afford a carriage
But you'll look sweet
Upon the seat
Of a bicycle built for two
I love you, Grandma Betty.
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