This is a book about legacy—the legacy of a special group of women who have earned the title of “Grandma.”

It is a collection of memories and stories about grandmothers from all around the world to honor the gifts they have given and the legacies they share down the generations. Grandmothers give us a sense of peace, safety, strength, and unconditional love. They allow us to be whoever we want to be when we are living in the safety of their world.

Grandmothers teach us through love and through example how to draw on our own resources and strengths to live our best lives. Our grandmothers taught us to be brave by telling amazing stories of far-away places; to love and nurture others by cooking our favorite foods or tucking us into bed at night while humming a sweet lullaby; to be self-sufficient by teaching us to garden or cook or to balance a checkbook; and to live well by freely sharing their strength, wisdom, laughter, and aspirations.

The stories in this collection evoke cultures and images from around the world—from warm Caribbean breezes to small town America, to the South of France, to villages in Central and East Asia. They may inspire you to document your own grandparents’ stories by using the included guide to “Memory as Legacy.”

Most of all, let the stories carry you away to those special moments in your memory, moments of perfect peace, security, and love. Let the stories carry you back in time to your own cherished memories of your grandmother or a loved one who sustained and strengthened you in your childhood.