“Learning to Love Without Words” by “Heather” is an essay describing the language gap between her and her grandmother. This exceptional piece reveals how even without words, Heather still succeeds to express her love and gratitude for the grandmother that had done so much for her. I find this inspiring and it is something that I relate to completely. Heather has

My parents moved to the USA and had me. Every single one of my relatives lived in China and visiting them was like visiting strangers. The visits consisted of my polite nods to things I couldn’t quite understand and heavy laughs at my awkward Chinese. The language barrier seemed like a wall separating us onto two different planets.

Heather describes how the language barrier had affected her ability to communicate with her grandmother and the fact that it didn’t stop Heather from letting her grandmother know that she loved her. This essay puts me in the author’s perspective and teaches me an important life lesson. Heather's essay has also let me slowly start to comprehend and unravel the complicated appreciation and love I have for my family, as well as breaking through the language barrier.