If You Don't Stand for Something You Will Fall for Nothing

I always thought I would throw up if I heard my Grandmother say to me one more time "If You Don't Stand for Something You Will Fall for Nothing."  Her no-nonsense approach to life would make me pause many times.  Sometimes I got so sick and tired of hearing her sayings I would put my hands up and cover both ears.  She always had a quote for everything.

When I would show outwardly that I didn't want to listen to nothing she had to say at that point and time she would chant you can hate me now but you will love me later.  Hands down, feet to the pedal, without an inkling of a doubt I do.  I realized it after her passing.  We had some really good times and we also had some really not so good times together.  My brothers used to laugh and joke me when she was still living even after I was an adult "what did you get a whipping for today I know you did something to piss Grandma off.  You and Grandma are always fighting."  (By the way she used to always say when she irritated me beyond human imagination "it is better to be pissed off than pissed on."  LOL!) 

I remember what I deemed to be our last fight.  After this incident everything else was of no consequence.  It was one of the saddest days of my life.  My grandmother did my laundry for me until my oldest child was about 7 years old.  Well this entailed doing the laundry for me and my three children.  On this particular day I gathered my things and went for her to do my laundry.  However she refused because I waited so long and let everything pile up.  I'm telling you I could not have had a laundry service to do my laundry any better.  I would take her my laundry for me and the kids and she would wash, dry, fold, hang, and stack my laundry so neatly I would never even need to iron.  She could clean my suits and dresses and hang them so neatly they would look like I had them professionally done. 

Oh when she told me she was not going to do my laundry and I realized she was serious I was livid.  Her words were "I don't care if you get mad."  She told me one of her famous quotes "it's better to be pissed off than pissed on."  After she said what she had to say all I can remember was mumbling something which I thought was under my breath but apparently not because she said  "What did you say?"  I told her I wasn't talking to her.  She picked up a broom and went across my face with it and I had to grab the broom and hold on to it to keep from getting a serious beat down.


Today I finished my daughter's laundry for her.  She had to go to work early and I had three little ones when I was going solo and she has two little ones and she has recently separated from her husband.  I got a text message saying "thank you mommy".  She should really be thanking my Grandmother because she taught me to stand for something.