Saying goodbye

Last Thursday, my Grandma (my dad's mom) passed away. I had rushed to Ottawa by plane on Wednesday evening, arriving at midnight, and I was so relieved that I got to say my goodbyes in person and be with her at the end. It all seemed to happen so fast: my parents were visiting in late March, and two days later she had a minor heart attack. She called an ambulance—the neighbors saw and called my dad—and went to the hospital. We all expected her to recover and be moved to a retirement home for cardiac rehab. In fact, my visit was planned for two weeks later so that I could perhaps help with the move from the hospital to rehab. But instead, her condition deteriorated. She never the left the hospital again. It's still a shock to me, though I suppose she was 89 years old. But she had been in pretty decent health—or so we had thought, not knowing about the extent of her heart disease—and still living independently with my grandfather in their own home. Now she is gone, and my Ye-Ye is living alone in a retirement home with a memory unit.

A classic photo hanging in the study of my grandparents' house:

Grandma always made us wear these bucket hats when we went out in the sun, and we always thought they were dumb. Haha!

There are a lot of things I can say about Grandma. First of all, I'm named after her! So I always felt a special connection. I also always thought that if I had a daughter, I'd name her after my mom. But...well, Mom, you got the middle name! Grandma was a poet and painter. She loved nature and sunsets and the sea and flowers, and she nurtured our appreciation for all of those things. She used to send me her poems in my birthday card. That's how I first learned that poems are a gift! And now I study Greek poetry for a living. Here's a poem she wrote that is hanging in their living room:

Her funeral and memorial service will be the first weekend in May. I think I'll continue posting here about my thoughts and memories of Grandma. I miss you already, Grandma, and I love you!