Queen Elizabeth

CLEVELAND - Elizabeth Young was the greatest teacher (and biggest fan) I ever had. Hailing from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, she relocated to Cleveland as a young woman and continued to build an adult life that produced seven children in twenty-one years.

One of those children birthed me.

Elizabeth is my grandmother. She passed away on this date 10 years ago and at the time, I was very much upset, albeit detached and a bit in denial. In spite of it all, I did not fully understand the life-changing impact she had on me since my inception.

Actually, Grandma was crazy about me from before Day One. Given the snide remarks and vicious rumors my teenaged mother endured during and after her gestation, she acted as both caring mom and dependable ally for my ma against the tyranny inflicted by my grandfather.

What I remember and admire most about my grandmother was that she always had unshakable faith in God, always believed a better day was just around the corner and most of all, believed I was just as good as the next man. Devoid of self-esteem, she always encouraged me to love myself and she always stood up for me.

No one was going to slight me. Not on her watch.

As with anyone, she had her faults. But I've never met a person whose positives completely cancelled out their negatives. She loved me unconditionally and insatiably.

I love her the same exact way.