I was born when my grandparents were both in their 60s, eleven days before my grandmother turned 62. She said for years that I was her birthday present that year.

When I was growing up, my younger sister and I spent many nights at their house as my dad worked out of state and my mom worked nights as a nurse at a local hospital.

While Grandma and Grandpa had a nice home and a nice car, they were very frugal (while not to the point of flat-out cheap). But the things they had were nice and well taken care of.

My grandpa died in 2004. Of course, everything was left to Grandma. My cousins and I all received a couple hundred dollars each as Grandpa had requested, but I really didn’t know how much money was available until I started learning how to do Grandma’s books. Absolutely blew my mind.

I got married in 2010. My grandma never referred to him as my husband. Always “Emily’s special friend.” And I didn’t know why until almost a year after she died.

When Grandma passed in 2017, again, each grandkid got money, this time around $1k each. Property was transferred, and disbursements were made according to Grandma’s wishes.

Honestly, I was kind of disappointed with what I received as I had helped with a lion’s share of her care for her last seven years. But I started divorce proceedings in 2017 and it was finalized in 2018.

The day my divorce was finalized, I received a call from an unknown number. It was my grandmother’s lawyer, and he asked me to come to his office the next day with my divorce papers. Strange, but OK. So I went the next morning to his office. He asked to see the papers and I handed them to him, showing that everything was stamped, received, and final. In return, he handed me an envelope.

Grandma had left me $50k for my farm. But her condition was that I be divorced before I got it so “her special friend can’t touch any of it.” She knew without me ever telling her exactly how bad my marriage had gotten.

She somehow knew that, in her words to me almost every time I left her, “things will get better for you, honey.” I was able to bring my farmhouse back to the condition I wanted, and it should stand for another 160 years as it’s already been here since 1858.

Her gift to me ensured that I’ll never have to worry about a mortgage payment or that someone could make me leave my home. In that single envelope, she provided security for my son and me.

I can never physically thank her for that, but I can live knowing that her love will keep me secure and safe as long as I live.