Happy Birthday Dear Nona

You can tell who the good grandmothers are by the way that their granddaughters walk in the world, talk in the world, exude a chin-raised elegance and pride, They wear their grandmother's influence like they wear their own skin, like a sweater passed down from great women and worn with pride. The best grandmothers are tougher than nails and the wood they drive through to build homes that keep us safe and warm, they're done with the bullshit and tell you what they think and if you've got a problem with it you can take a damned hike. Grandmothers like Nona, who show us a blazing path round the world, giving us a little kick to get travelling when you need it. Grandmothers like Nona who gift us not the fish, but the knowledge of how to gather what we need, who kiss our foreheads, stamping our minds with her blessing, the love of learning, which is the love of life, which is what keeps us alive, blowing out more and more birthday candles on cakes, and always burning brighter and brighter, even with age—bless you, my love, your life is a light in this life.