My grandma’s birthday was last week, and I forgot to call her. I had it on my calendar, I set a reminder on my computer, and I asked my mom to remind me so I wouldn’t forget.

But I still forgot to call. And I feel terrible about it.

But here’s the great thing about my grandma. Despite me forgetting to call her, she will love me. She will call me Anwen, and she will tell me she loves me. You know, that’s why family is special. Because even when you mess up, they love you. It’s probably the closest thing to unconditional love we can experience as humans here on earth…the love of a family. Because even though every family has their own set of problems, and every family member will screw up at some point, they will still have love.

And sometimes it takes a mistake to remember that love.

Happy Birthday, Grandma Dot! I love you, and I am so blessed to have you as my grandma. Thank you for loving me, even when I do silly things like forget to call you on your birthday. :)

You are a strong, beautiful, and kind woman, who has raised a wonderful family who loves each other. None of us are perfect, but we have love. Thank you for being such a special person in my life. I hope your birthday was wonderful, and I can’t wait to talk to you tomorrow (when I really do call you!) so I can hear all about it.

In honor of your birthday, Grandma, I wanted to share the rest of the photos I took of you and Grandpa. Without your love, I wouldn’t be here.

Happy Birthday, Grandma! I love you!