Small giant

每個人都是一幅圖，一張風景畫，那外婆的圖裡，一定有著繽紛多變的色彩，倒不是她的生活多麼了不起，她只是個一輩子都住在同個所在的女子，連國語都不懂，還是個文盲，生命裡走過我無法想像的風雨，現在八十歲，和一名菲傭同居，不曉得故事這樣的發展對她來說是不是種幸福，不過我知道，我站在她身邊，單純地可憐。

一年復一年，外婆的身軀縮地越來越小，站在編號第十號的孫子旁分明就是個哈比人，當她驚訝於孩童的生長速度時，我則訝於她身上八十年的回憶。

We just celebrated my grandma's 80th birthday. Every time I see her, she seems to shrink some more. The sight always makes my heart jerk out of nostalgia for her youth. Meanwhile, I am amazed at how 80 years of memories can be stored in such a little body. Grandma is illiterate. Taiwanese is the only language she speaks. She gave birth to five daughters, which was considered really awful achievement for a woman in her times. On the other hand, she spent almost all her life with someone she hated. She suffered the loss of her son. She manages to survive in the company of her maid at the age of 80. I am bigger than Granny, I travel around the world, I speak more than four languages, but when I stand next to her, I am pathetically simple.

As Grandma becomes more and more tiny, she witnesses the incredible growth her grandchildren. While she is surprised at the speedy change of young people, Grandmama's small body and giant soul never fail to move me.