my grandmother died saturday. i'm at the age where death lingers nearby like an unwelcome companion -- an age where i will begin to loose the people i love.
my grandmother has been dying for as long as i can remember. she was a warm, loving and accepting person. she lived most of her life working the land, as a nurse and raising her 4 boys. i have been witness to many of the hardships she has had to endure the past several years, but i know that her life was hard. yet no matter what, she forged ahead with the utmost grace and dignity. a chapter in the lesson book we should all read.
2 comments:
Nick, I'm really sorry, there's really nothing else I can say (except the following novel).
My last remaining grandparent's health has been failing for a number of years now as well, recently I've been feeling a strong urge to fly back to Boston to see her. It may be the last time. More than ever now, I want to do that.
Several years ago, my maternal grandmother passed away 5 minutes after I left her room at the nursing home. She was surrounded by 2 generations of women of her line who loved and respected her and she died with a smile on her face. I can only fervently hope we all meet that fate.
In case you think that I am making this about me, I apologize, but your post reminded me of the things that I inherited from my grandmother - her amethyst ring that I wore to my first dance...a dusty heirloom pocketwatch that sits in my jewelry box like a good luck charm...a small satchel that still smells like her Chanel No. 5 perfume. The satchel is my most treasured possession. My family also happened to inherit my grandparents' old grandfather clock.
Memories pale in comparison...but at least we have that.
It's lovely to see the resemblance in your faces -- some of the same sparkle in your eyes. She's passed that on to you, and you've passed it on to your boys.
My thoughts are with you in your time of loss, my friend.
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