Last week, my grandma passed away. She was 94 and put up a great fight.

Over the weekend, I learned some things about her that I never knew, or at least not the whole story. I'd like to share some of what I learned. I take inspiration from it as a human being, a woman and a mother.

When Gram was a child, she lived in a very small village in Eastern Europe. She never had schooling of any kind and taught herself to read and speak in various languages.

By the time she was in her teens, her mother had died in childbirth and Gram had an insatiable curiosity about what was beyond her tiny village. So Gram and her sister left home, went to Belgium, and opened their own restaurant. This was a big deal, as women were looked down upon and not nearly as independent as Gram and her sis.

But as Nazism grew, while some others thought it would blow over and that Hitler didn't really mean what he was saying, Gram & her sis had the foresight to realize they needed to get out. They took an extremely over-crowded train to France (the train they were originally supposed to take wound up being bombed!). Gram's sis had married and her hubby was in the service. Her sis was also friends with a local soldier, and because of these two facts, she was given legal passage to leave France on a ship that was transporting soldiers and their dependents. But Gram didn't have that advantage. With the help of that soldier friend, Gram risked her life, snuck aboard the ship and stowed away. When the ship arrived in England, Gram was discovered, and for some reason was thought to be a German spy (WTH? My dad said something about maybe it was because she spoke German). The soldier friend couldn't help her, as he was not supposed to know her. She was held by Scotland Yard, questioned, and finally released when they realized she was indeed NOT a spy.

In England, Gram met the man who would become her husband and my grandpa. He was a soldier and, incidentally, grew up pretty close to where Gram used to live in that small village. A couple of years later, my dad was born, and Gram and my dad spent many nights in a subway station waiting out the bombings of WWII.

After my uncle was born, and with the help of relatives, the family came to Chicago and set up house in a small apartment. They didn't have much money, but Gram and Grandpa both worked and always made sure they had good fresh food.

There were other things I learned about Gram which further drove home how tough and feisty she was. I knew she had a rough life, and I greatly loved and respected her, but now I have a deeper respect for her. As a SW fan, and growing up with the OT, I've looked to Leia as a heroine. But now I have the inspiration of a real-life rebel. I hope as I face more of life's challenges that I have half the fortitude and courage she did.

I love you, Grandma.