Page 23 - Life Legacy Project

Compassion Magnifies with a Rich Heart Lorraine Marla Smith
“If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love” is my grandmother's favorite quote. It’s her favorite quote because it represents her heart and love for all the people that surround her. My grandmother's name is Lorraine Marla Smith. I would like to honor her because she is my grandma, but most of all she is always there for me. She does whatever she possibly can to make me successful in life! She is very funny, beautiful, happy, and kind-hearted.
My grandma was born in Seattle, Washington. Her date of birth was April 16, 1949. Her name came from a city in France and her mom's middle name was Lorraine. When she was 8 years old, Frank Ingle (my grandma's dad) bought her, her first pure black horse, with a white shaped star on his face. They called him Raven, my grandma took him to rodeos with her dad. This was a very special moment that my grandma would never forget because her dad died when she was 11.
My grandma has always wanted to be a nurse, however, she didn’t finish college. She went to college for 2 years, from the ages of 18 to 20. As she got older, at the age of 25, she got pregnant with her son, (my dad). She then had another baby, (my aunt) at the age of 27.
Today, my grandma is 68 years old. An average day for her is waking up at 6 am to get ready for work. She works at the YMCA in membership services and she is semi-retired. Her work hours are from 7 am to noon. At this point in life, she can pretty much do whatever she would like. She has a great, solid relationship with a great guy and loves her life.
The way my grandma loves is hard to believe. She has absolutely no hate in her heart and believes that hate is not a thing. She has always appreciated Martin Luther King because she really felt that everyone should be treated equally and everyone deserves the same rights. She did not like the fact that people were treated differently based off of their skin color. She believes that everyone should treat others the same way that they would like to be treated. If people treat her with disrespect, she will treat them with respect. Throughout her life, she has learned not to plan life out step by step as it always changes. Always choose friends wisely and make good choices so you don’t have any regrets or do-overs.
I admire that my grandma will do everything she can for me and is respectful to everyone, no matter what they look like. She inspires me to follow my dreams because she was not able too and would do anything for me to help me reach my goal. Her piece of advice for the next generation is to “Always strive to be the best you can be. Follow your dreams and don’t let anyone or anything deter you.”
My grandma is very caring and inspiring. She always wants me to follow my dreams because she wants me to have a happy life and do something she wasn’t able to do. She helps me with anything and loves to help me with anything and everything that I need her too. My grandma is adorable, supportive, gifted, brave, serene, delighted and humorous. She loves to make me laugh and will do anything to make my day filled with fun. If I’m sad, she always seems to find a way to make me smile and makes my day so much better!
By Kylie LaPoma
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