I lived on my grandma Minnie’s farm with my family until I was in second grade. Grandma was a very hard working woman, a great cook and a tender heart and nurturing way about her. There are some things that leave an impact on our lives from the youngest age.
One thing I remember my grandma doing was to set me on her lap and bounce me while she whispered the words, “You are special” in my ear. Grandma Minnie validated me at a very young age. Grandma died in 1982. It was the first death I had experienced in our family. In 1991, I was reflecting on my memories of her and took a pen and paper and wrote this poem in her honor.
You Are Special
A grandmother embraced her grandson as only a grandma can do,
And whispered in his ear, “You are special. It’s true.”
The little boy bounced off her lap and went outside to play.
But at nighttime Grandma would sit on the little boys’ bed and say,
“You are special this I know, and someday you will be,
A special kind of person who makes other people happy.”
The little boy grew older, and when his Grandma came,
She would always hold him, and say those words again.
He liked to hear his Grandmas’ voice, for it was soft and kind,
But nighttime was his favorite part when she sat on his bed each time and said,
“You are special this I know, and someday you will be,
A special kind of person who makes other people happy.”
When he turned a teenager he didn’t really know,
Just what he thought about stuff and his feelings were hard to show.
But when his Grandma came to visit, she lightly touched his head,
And deep inside he was glad when she would sit on the side of his bed and say,
“You are special this I know, and someday you will be,
A special kind of person who makes other people happy.”
When he went to college and sat at night alone,
Thoughts of when his Grandma came would make him want to go home.
But, then he got his mail one day and sat that night to read it,
Grandma has sent him a letter and one more time she repeated.
“You are special this I know, and someday you will be,
A special kind of person who makes other people happy.”
All grown up and married now with a special child of his own,
Time had passed so quickly ’cause he was hardly ever home.
Word came through a phone call that his Grandma had taken ill,
The boy went at once to be with her and sat beside her still.
She lay in bed so helpless, He knew she’d soon be gone.
He and Grandma in this big room, just the two of them alone.
Then he took her hand and held it, and trembling he spoke,
The words that she had taught him, though his voice was somewhat broke,
“You are special this I know, and someday you will be,
A special kind of person who makes other people happy.”
That night he lay thinking about those words his Grandma had taught,
How he had carried them all through his life, and how they had strengthened him a lot.
He got to his feet and went to the room where his son rested peacefully still,
He sat on his bed, reached for his hand and softly whispered in his ear, “You are special.
“You are special this I know, and someday you will be,
A special kind of person who makes other people happy.”
Written by David L. Burrier © 1991
I'VE BEEN THERE Ministries 