Corey Loving
Cornerstone
8/22/05
“Grandma’s Influence”
My grandma, Carolyn Davis, is the most influential person in my life. There is not
a doubt that I am the person I am today because of her influence. I’m not saying I’m the
most perfect person, but I’m a lot better off than I would have been without her. She has
given me the most dominant trait I possess. My grandma has given me the ability to
draw.
At a very young age I loved to draw. I would literally draw on the walls and
paintings in my grandma’s house like many young kids did. My grandma never seemed
to get angry or scold me for messing up her walls. She would always just rub me on the
head, and smile. I love her for that. And, when I got a little older, she would line up all
the dishes and toasters she had in her house in one place. We would sit together for hours
drawing the pieces of kitchenware, perfecting our skills. She influenced me to be an
artist. And, it wasn’t just my art by which grandma influenced me, but so much more.
In fact my grandma, like most other grandmothers, taught me the value of
compassion. I still remember going to church every weekend in my Sunday best, clean
double breasted tux. I would stand there, listening to Pastor Cook preach about the value
of humanity through GOD while falling asleep. All I could think about was how hot the
church was, and how amazing the brightly colored stained-glass looked on the windows.
I always thought you could eat the stain-glass because it looked a lot like candy to me.
The hardest part about church was how long it was. At the time, I found church very
boring, but now I realize the values I learned from going there. I think that was
grandma’s plan all along. She influenced me to be a Christian, she influenced me to help
others, and most importantly, she influenced me to be a respectful citizen of our society.
A lot of times as children we can be cruel towards our peers. I know from
experience because I used to get into quite a few fights during my day. Usually, after a
scrapple the other kid’s parents would somehow find their way to my house, and we’d
both have to apologize for fighting. After awhile, my grandma would sit down and talk to
me. I remember her telling me to disregard what other kids would say, no matter how
much it hurt. And at that time she instilled upon me the famous phrase “sticks and stones
may break my bones but words may never hurt me.” To this day I still find that phrase
only half true, but I did learn to be more respectful to the other children.
My grandma remains the most influential person in my life. She taught me the
ability to draw, the value of compassion, and the impact of respect. I love my grandma
very much, and appreciate the lifelong lessons that she has taught me. So with these last
words I would simply say to my grandma, “Thank you.”