My great-grandma, Nan, was 11 years old when she had to forget everything she knew and flee her home in Romania during World War 2. She made her way to America and built the life she has now brick by brick. Her voice is very soft and uplifting. She has a small German accent that you can only really hear if you pay close attention. When we are speaking in English, she is a quieter person and soft spoken, but when speaking in German, she has a rougher and more demanding voice. But that is just the way German is; that is what we always joke about.

There are times when we will speak German back and forth with each other. We would go kayaking and name different animals in German. My favorite catch phrase she has told me is “Faith over Fear.” It is a bible verse, Psalm 118:6. Whenever I was scared of thunder during a storm, she would tell me it is just the sky letting go, and it is ok to let go and not bottle everything up. She would tell me to have faith over fear. I now have it tattooed on my ribs, planning to add more this Christmas.