Dorothy Perkins was 49 years old when she experienced her second terrible death in six months. First, her spouse died as a result of cancer. Six months later, her son and his wife were murdered in a head-on collision while driving home from kindergarten with their four-year-old son.

Dorothy was left alone with Jimmy. He was the only thing she had.

It was not an easy task. Dorothy had to “reset” her relationship from grandma to mother. She couldn’t continue to spoil Jimmy like a spoiled brat; she needed to redefine herself as an educator.

She was now in charge of Jimmy. She began saving money for Jimmy’s schooling right away. Her main concentration had shifted to her young grandson.

She started looking for the best school right away, which turned out to be a highly expensive private one. Nonetheless, Dorothy felt certain Jimmy was moving in that direction.

Even in the midst of heartbreaking loss, the family provides us with a reason to live.

Jimmy was a happy, loving child. He was young, and despite how much he missed his parents, he adapted and carried on. No matter what our losses are, we must face the future, like Dorothy did.

Jimmy was growing up so quickly! He was soon 10, twelve, fifteen… But one thing remained constant: his love for Granma Dolly, as he referred to Dorothy.

Jimmy developed into a lovely young man, a great student, and an excellent athlete on his path to becoming a man his parents would be proud of.

Then Jimmy graduated from high school, and college loomed. Granma Dolly blanched as she read through the material given by the universities Jimmy had applied to. Even with a scholarship, it would be too expensive!

Jimmy, on the other hand, had been admitted to Yale on a partial athletic scholarship, and Dorothy was adamant that he would attend. She refused to let Jimmy take out school loans that would haunt him for the rest of his life, so she drew on her pension fund, saved money, and borrowed money from the bank.

Dorothy was bankrupt by the time Jimmy graduated from Magna Cum Laude. As a result, she had to continue working long after she should have retired. Dorothy’s friends traveled to Europe or Asia and cruised around the world, but she didn’t.

She, on the other hand, had no regrets. She had a lovely son! He wasn’t a boy anymore! Jimmy was now 29 years old, an accomplished lawyer and associate at a famous law firm on his path to becoming a partner. Jimmy and Grandma Dolly were as close as ever, and he came for supper every Sunday.

Dorothy was a week away from her 75th birthday when she discovered she couldn’t keep up with her loan payments. She would have to declare bankruptcy, which meant she would most likely lose her home.

Dorothy kept her position hidden from Jimmy. She didn’t want him to realize the price of his achievement. She decided to hold one more party in her beloved house, where she’d lived with her husband and seen her child grow up. She invited Jimmy and Rita, Jimmy’s girlfriend, to her birthday supper.

When Jimmy came alone, bearing a bunch of roses for her, she was taken aback. “Honey, where is Rita?” Dolly inquired, shocked. Rita appealed to her.

Jimmy groaned and shrugged his shoulders. “We broke up,” he said.

“But…” “But…I just saw you two weeks ago!” Dolly yelled. “You were so madly in love!”

“Rita said…she said I was cheap,” Jimmy elaborated. “She claimed I didn’t want to go anywhere costly, that I didn’t want to… It makes no difference, Grandma. It’s all over.”

“Oh, honey,” moaned Grandma Dolly. “I’m truly sorry…” Jimmy was hugged and escorted into the dining area. She’d prepared all of his favorite foods and cooked a massive red velvet cake for him.

“Hey!” Jimmy sobbed. “It’s your birthday, not mine!”

Dorothy laughed. “When I spoil you, I please myself!” she said as she began serving the exquisite roast potatoes.

The phone rang as the two were finishing their dessert. Mark was one of Jimmy’s closest buddies. “Jim, my man,” Mark said, which Dorothy overheard. “Listen, I’m booking us a week down in Mexico to go fishing…”

“Wait up!” Jimmy stated. “That sounds interesting. When are you guys leaving?”

“Two months time—from the second to the ninth,” Mark explained.

“Let me check my calendar,” Jimmy remarked, but Dorothy noticed that he didn’t. “Sorry, buddy, I’ll be in London that week for a conference. “Perhaps next time!”

Dorothy questioned Jimmy as he hung up: “Jimmy, why did you lie to Mark?”

“I don’t like fishing, Grandma Dolly,” Jimmy stated as he began telling her a hilarious work anecdote. They spent a beautiful evening together, but Dorothy had to face the music the next day.

She drove down to the bank and requested a meeting with the manager. “Mr. Durrel,” she addressed him quietly. “I’m broke, and I won’t be able to make my loan payments this month.”

Dorothy’s file was readily accessible on the manager’s computer. He smirked. “I’m afraid there must be some mistake, Mrs. Perkins!” He stated.

“Your loans were all paid off yesterday,” he said. “And your bank account shows a balance of $110,000!”

“That’s impossible!” Dorothy said. “I owed well over $200,000…”

“Yes, you did,” answered the bank manager. “However, as I previously stated, your debt was discharged.”

“But who..” Dorothy then recognized who had paid the debts and deposited the funds in her bank account: Jimmy!

That’s why his girlfriend assumed he was cheap. That’s why he’d declined to go on an expensive holiday to Mexico with his buddies! He’d been saving enough to pay off her debts and reimburse her for the money she’d spent on his schooling.

Dorothy went to Jimmy’s office and requested a meeting with him. “What’s wrong, Grandma Dolly?” Alarmed, Jimmy inquired. “Is everything OK?”

“Oh, you silly boy,” Dorothy said, tears streaming down her cheeks. “You didn’t have to sacrifice yourself for me!”

Jimmy embraced her and asked, “Sacrifice? I merely did what you did for me a long time ago. You taught me to prioritize those we love, and that is exactly what I did.”

Even in the midst of heartbreaking loss, family provides us with a reason to live. Dorothy had lost both her son and her husband, but she gave everything to her grandson Jimmy.

Good individuals prioritize those they care about. Jimmy followed Dorothy’s lead and prioritized her well-being before his own.