Strength through Tragedy, by Sandra Bledsoe

Do you have a hero?  Is there someone who has touched your life because of what you have seen in their life?  It doesn’t take a great invention or a great discovery to be a hero.  It takes the strength of one’s self to endure tragedies and not give up.  

    This is a short story of a remarkable woman who showed faith and endurance when faced with circumstances beyond her control.  Eula was born in the early 1900’s and lived on a small farm with her parents and sister.  Her father died at a young age and she was left with her mother, sister, and grandmother.  She tells stories of how they struggled to survive selling and trading eggs to get by.  She was only able to go to school to the seventh grade.  Later, when she was in her twenties she married a nice young man and they lived on the farm.

    Life was good for them, they had a little girl, Christine, and they continued to farm.  A few years later they had a son, but unfortunately, he became very sick.  This was a difficult time for them with the baby in the hospital 25 miles away and they had to take a bus to the hospital every day to visit him.  The baby boy, Charles, died at 13 months old.  Eula had another little girl two years later who was sick with pneumonia and she died at just three months old.  This was a devastating time for Eula.

    After the recovery from the death of two babies, more tragedy came.  There was an electrical fire in their home and it burned down and they lost everything.  It was the support of loving neighbors that came together and built them a new house.  One year later, Eula was faced with the decision to have back surgery because of her severe back pain.  She had the surgery and it left her foot and leg partially paralyzed.  There was no medical insurance, so they made payments to the doctors and hospital yearly from selling cotton and tobacco.  

    Eula was my grandmother, and not until I was older did I realize that she had been through so much.  When I was young I always enjoyed staying with her on the farm and having fun while we worked.  She was determined, strong, kind and loving.  My values that I possess today were passed down to me by my grandmother and my parents.  These values are hard work, education, love of family and faith and trust in God.  My grandmother is my hero.