Something special - portrait #2

This assignment was exciting because I could search for possessions in my life that have strong meaning to me. However, I could only think of two right away. The first image in my triptych includes a photograph of my grandmother and I at my highschool graduation. This photograph is beyond a lot of things in my life and is so special to me. During my senior year of high school, my grandfather became ill and passed away just a few months before I received my diploma. My grandmother like always had been the strongest person in our family. I don't even remember seeing her crying at the memorial service; she was incredible. I have always had a great relationship with my grandmother because she has always been so supportive and proud of what I have done with my life. This April my grandmother went into the hospital thinking she would be leaving in a few days. She had developed a bad lung disease and never came back home. She passed away, what seemed to be way to early. It went so fast and devastated my entire family. I was and still am very sad, because she was my last grandparent and I feel like we had so much to share together still. This photograph is very special to me because it shows my connection to her, but also shows her support and love that she gave to me unconditionally.
The next photo contains my stuffed lion - Homer. He was given to me by my boyfriend. Homer has always been something fun and comforting to hold on to, especially when I am away from my friends, family and boyfriend. When I moved to Virginia for my work assignment, it was really hard getting used to being away from Penn State, but every time I cuddled with Homer, I felt like I was back at PSU. The third photo is my favorite sweatshirt. I have had this article of clothing for a really long time. My mom hates the thing and thinks I should throw it away, but for some reason I can't part; and I really don't have a good reason. Whenever I where this sweatshirt it brings me back to my childhood which was relaxing, calm, and reminds me of home. I wore this several times when I was away because it instantly brings memories to my mind of my family.
So to connect all these prized possession I would start by saying that everyone of these reminds me of something warmer, memories that bring a smile to my face when there are tears in my eyes. My grandmother was an amazing person and would have done anything for anyone. She always made me feel loved and together we shared so many memories. Many times I was with my grandmother, I wore the sweatshirt, because I used to wear it all the time. But now I where it here and there, mainly because it doesn't fit as well as it did years ago. Homer is something I can cuddle with at night. He helps me fall asleep when I am sad because I am missing my family. Lately, Homer has been really special since I miss my grandma so much; but also my boyfriend being a few hours away. I can squeeze Homer and I can imagine giving my boyfriend a hug or having one more chance to wrap my arms around my grandma and tell her how much I love her.

I chose these possessions because right now in my life, these are the things that I cherish. I couldn't use a professional aspect, because I have no idea what I want to do with my life right now. To me not knowing exactly what I want to do shows my youth and my time to still be a kid and have fun with life. However I felt my prized possessions reflect things that mean a lot to me, not in myself but other people and their effects on me.
My grandmother was the typical housewife, took care of the kids, cooked, cleaned and catered on her husband. She was always taking care of someone. She was so amazing because even though she would look so exhausted she kept going. It was until my grandfather passed away that she was finally relieved of the stress and was able to relax and make her decisions based on what she wanted. I admire the person she was so much. Like so many of the artists this week showed pictures of the 'housewife' I see my grandmother as that woman that was trapped, but knew she had to deal with it. But like the images changed as time progressed, so did my grandmother. Once she was able to rest and relax and do her own thing, she seemed happy and comfortable, like she had found what she was looking for. I think it is important to have many people in your life, but having control over your own life is really important. Being able to make the decisions that will affect you is important but also seeing what effects it will have on others. This is such a confusing issue and I feel weird sometimes, because I don't know if I am being to selfish or selfless.