One of the biggest regrets in my life is that I will never really know my grandmother from my father’s side of the family.  She died when I was about seven years old. At the time, I knew her well as a grandmother but nothing more.  I was not old enough to understand that a person has more roles in life.  However, I still have my grandmother from my mother’s side of the family whom I love very much, not only as a grandmother but as a person.  She is a great role model for her six children, fifteen grandchildren, and one great-grandson.  We all call her “Nana” because it is the Italian word for grandma, and she is one hundred percent Italian.  Her real name is Katherine Aloi.
             It is always fun when Nana comes to visit us because the laughing never stops.  She says she is in love with John Travolta, so every time she comes to visit us we watch a John Travolta movie.  She only really likes the ones where he sings and dances, though.  During her most recent visit, we decided to watch the movie Mickey Blue Eyes, starring Hugh Grant, because we ran out of Travolta movies that she had not already seen.  We chose Mickey Blue Eyes because it is about a man wishing to marry into an Italian family.  As the credits were rolling at the end of the movie, they began playing Italian music in the background. My grandmother jumped up out of the chair, grabbed my little sister by the arm, and began dancing around the room with her.  Nana loves to dance and laugh with us.  It is always obvious what type of mood she is in when she is around, because she is a very spirited woman.
             I will never forget the time that my cousin got caught shoplifting from a clothing store.  He was with a friend of his, and they thought it would be a good idea to steal a couple of shirts.  Unfortunately for the two of them, they both got caught and thrown out of the store.  When my grandmother found out about it she asked, “Didn’t you have enough money?  You know you can come to me if you need anything.  Here, take this.” And she handed him a twenty dollar bill.  I love the fact that she never gets angry or upset.  She just wants to help.
 While in church a while back, I noticed a ring on Nana’s finger.  It was a birthstone ring, but not your average birthstone ring.  There were six stones on that ring, each of them a different color.  “Why so many birthstones when a person can only have one birthday?” I asked her, genuinely confused.  She told me that each stone represents one of her children’s birthdays.  Six children equals 6 birthstones.  I think that says a lot about my grandmother because symbolically it shows how connected she is with her family.
             Aside from her birthstone ring and a necklace with a cross and two Italian charms used to ward off evil, my grandmother does not wear a lot of jewelry. However, if there is one thing about Nana that I do not like, it is the fact that she refuses to leave the house with out looking her best.  I am not saying that it is a terrible thing, but I do not think that she should worry so much about what people think.  Her hair is always shiny and full of perfect curls, and her fingernails are always polished.  She is always complaining that my mother refuses to dye her hair saying, “You’re such a beautiful woman!  Imagine how much younger you would look if you would only dye that head of yours.”
             My pap died when I was very young, and ever since then my grandmother has become the glue that holds our family together.  I know she loved him very much, and I admire her for moving on and continuing her life after his death.  She has many friends and a continually growing family who all love her very much.  If it were not for spending all the holidays at her house every year, it would probably be years between each visit with our extended family.
             I am sure that everyone who knows her would agree that my nana is a beautiful person, inside and out, and I hope to someday become as admirable as she is.  Katherine Aloi is a wonderful grandmother and an amazing person.
 
 

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