Weekly visits to my grandma’s house are a must. Typically Sunday is family day and the 30 of us crowd around a small room spending hours catching up on each others lives. Once a week visits aren’t enough for me though, since I hardly get to talk to Bebe when moms are cooking, kids are running, and the house gets turned upside down. One day driving back from work, I decided to stop by and enjoy a few hours with my grandma instead of heading to an empty house where I would wind up just lazily sitting in front of the tv.

As I walked in, I kissed Bebe and spent the usual first hour convincing her that I had already eaten enough and could possibly eat no more. But alas, I had to have some dolma and at least a cup of chai to make her happy. We spent a few minutes talking and the clock struck 5pm. She immediately hushed me and said that everyday at 5 pm, she watches the mass in Rome through her Arabic satellite. She asked me to stay and watch with her, so I sat back and began watching. She explained to me that they read the Gospel and homily in different languages. So we took a short break. I got up to clean my mess that I left in front of me on the table. I was brushing crumbs into the trash can with my hand, and as I looked down I noticed something sitting on the remote control. I looked closer and saw that it was just a regular potato chip, so I bent my arm down to pick it up and throw it away.

Suddenly my grandma grabs my arm and in Arabic I hear “No, Rhonda don’t!” I turned and said “Bebe, whats wrong!? I was just cleaning the table, there’s food on the remote!”

She turned to me laughing a little and said “Habibi, that is my Qurbana! I keep a bag of potato chips by my side, since the pieces are small, circular and even the same color as Qurbana. Everyday I pull one out during the mass and eat it when the Priest begins giving it out, since I cannot actually make it to church.” She said this and I sat back down, staring at her in awe. A wave of shock and inspiration hit me from all sides. My grandma has been unable to physically attend church for some time, but if anything her dedication and love for God has only grown. Within a second, this little potato chip became the greatest symbol of faith. While others can quickly find excuses to not go to church, this woman shows us that all it takes is a little faith and church is with you. How incredible a person must be to have so much strength and love for the Lord. May we all find it within ourselves to go beyond making