On Monday December 21, my favorite person in the entire world died on my birthday. Gran was the best friend you’d ever have, and she was so damn witty and brilliant and fiercely independent. She lived an extraordinary life, and she loved deeply and chose to be happy and kind above everything else. I’m so proud to be Annie Smart’s granddaughter and so lucky I got to love her for the 28 years I did. Gran and I were thick as thieves from the very start. I’ll miss her every day.