with her was when she used to send me every month to send money to one of her classmates who was said to be unwell. For months, I carried out this errand faithfully. She told me the woman was not feeling well, and Grandma wanted to support her until she recovered. However, I noticed that every time I sent the money, the supposed classmate never called to say she had received it. Instead, a man would always be the one to receive the funds, claiming to be the caretaker of the woman. Something about the situation didn’t sit right with me. One day, I decided to call the number myself and ask some questions. When I called, the man answered, as usual. I began to ask him about the woman how she was doing, what kind of illness she had, and how long he had been caring for her. His responses were shaky and uncertain. I could tell he was uncomfortable. As I pressed further, he began to stumble over his words until finally, he confessed the truth: he wasn’t related to the woman in any way. The number itself was a wrong one, and he had been pretending all along. When I returned home and told Grandma what I had discovered, I expected her to be angry or at least upset. But her reaction humbled me. She didn’t raise her voice, didn’t speak ill of the man, and didn’t even ask me to call him back. Instead, with her usual calmness, she simply said, “Maybe he needed it during those months.” Then she asked me to delete the number from her phone. Later, she called another classmate to get the correct contact, and this time, we made sure to confirm by speaking directly with the woman before sending any money. That experience taught me something profound about who Grandma truly was. Her kindness wasn’t conditional. Her heart was too big to be hardened by deceit. Even when others took advantage of her generosity, she still chose compassion over bitterness. That was her nature pure, gentle, and forgiving. Most people knew Grandma by her position and influence, but I knew her differently. I knew her as a mother who cared deeply, a woman whose generosity knew no limits, and someone who loved without expecting anything in return. She showed me nothing but kindness, love, and genuine care. Her heart was full of goodness, her words filled with wisdom, and her life an example of grace and compassion. Grandma’s love left a permanent mark on my heart. Her legacy of selflessness and love will continue to live on not just in my memories, but in the way I choose to love and care for others. She was, and will always be, the definition of a beautiful soul. 2 CORINTHIANS 1 :3,4 “Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of tender mercies and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our trials so that we may be able to comfort others in any sort of trial with the comfort that we receive from God”. 1946 MRS. CECILIA JOHNSON 2025 63 A Loving Farewell
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