My darling grandma spent her days living in an old trailer. I’m ashamed to admit it, but my husband seemed to be excited by the thought of her passing, thinking we would inherit millions. I knew my grandma didn’t have that amount of money, but rumors had it she had, and my husband couldn’t wait that money to become ours.
But, my sweet grandma knew better than that.
When she passed away, we went to the lawyers office for the reading of her will, and it turned out my grandma didn’t even own the old trailer. She had sold it to an old friend who lived across the street years prior, but still got to live there. She then used the money to travel. Not long journeys, but more like weekend getaways to nice hotels and places she had never been to before.
Needless to say, my husband Bernard was outraged.
“But where is her money? Any hidden fortune?” he kept asking the lawyer, who assured him over and over again that there was no money.
My grandma left me a letter. The lawyer said she wanted me to read it in private. I decided to take it home, and read it in peace. My husband reminded me a thousand times that if there something about money there that it belonged to the both of us since we were married.
Until that point, I wasn’t aware how greedy Bernard was. For him, it was all about money.
My grandma’s letter brought teras to my eyes. In it, she shared her wisdom with me again. She wrote that it wasn’t the material things that matter, but the peace a person finds in their life. She reminded me that I was a caring person, urging me to never forget that greed can only poison people.
Further, my grandma wrote I should go to the old oak tree behind the trailer and dig a bit because there was one final gift for me there. She said it wasn’t a hidden treasure, but something she knew I would cherish.
The following day, Bernard and I headed to the old oak tree. There, we found a bunch of old photographs of my grandma, her recipe book, and a key. My grandma’s friend, Erna, told us it was of an old cottage by the lake about thirty miles from there. It turned out my grandma spent a lot of her time there.
Bernard was rushing me to get to the cottage as soon as possible. When we finally arrived, we realized it was a tiny space, a two-bedroom log cabin-like structure with creaky floors and a patch of land out back leading to a small, sparkling lake.
The first thing Bernard said was, “How much do you think we can sell this for?”
Again, for him, it was all about money.
“Why do you think I would sell it?” I asked him, “This belonged to the most special person I knew, and I’m not selling it for any money in the world.”
It was obvious he was angry at me.
As days passed by, I started spending more time at the cottage. I repainted it and renovate it a bit. Eventually, I turned it into a small bed-and-breakfast with Erna’s help.
I wanted other people to enjoy the quiet and peace that place offered.
My grandma taught me that wealth is not measured in dollars but in the love we share.
As of Bernard, I was aware my marriage to him was coming to an end when he couldn’t contain his excitement over my grandma’s passing, thinking he would become an over-night millionaire.
I didn’t need a greedy person like him by mi side.
Moving forward wasn’t easy, but I have finally found my sanctuary and my peace.
