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My Grandmother's Hospitality
Every time I go to my grandmother’s house she always wants to have a lot of food ready. She gets angry when we don’t let her know in advance that we’re going to visit her because she doesn’t have time to go get us food. Barbacoa tacos, refreshments, desserts, fish, vegetables and more. She will always have all types ready for her grandchildren. She feels obligated to have every possible food item we might want. Food isn’t the only way she is a good host, but it’s what she thinks is most important to us. Sometimes I feel like she cares too much for small things such as these. These small acts are everything to her. She thinks that we’ll be disappointed if she doesn’t have some type of food we might be in the mood for. I’m always very grateful every time I go visit her and I let her know that I appreciated her infallible hospitality. Sometimes I wonder why this matters so much to her. I usually ponder about this after I see her. I always come to the conclusion that she feels like everything has to be perfect for when we visit or else she will feel like we won’t visit anymore due to our disappointment. I feel a great sorrow when this realization sinks in. I always tell her that she doesn’t need to get so many things for us and that it’s okay, but it just flies over her head. I feel like I do my part in telling her that, but I can’t help feeling guilty. I’m not sure why I feel guilt. In her old age, she goes out of her way to buy and prepare food for her grandchildren, even if she is all alone at home. It’s quite conflicting to feel such appreciation and gratitude towards her, but at the same time feel guilty and invasive. She’s all alone so one could say that paying her a visit is good, yet she puts so much pressure on herself to make everything perfect that I feel like I shouldn’t go sometimes, like I should spare her the stress. She is the most selfless woman that I have ever met and it amazes me how much it means to her to please her family.
