I had never experienced the pain of losing a loved one before; it cut through my soul like a knife. Every fiber of my being cried out, "no!" Then came the anger at the doctors for cutting her open, the anger at God for taking her away from me, and the anger at myself for not being able to do anything about it. Finally, after the funeral and the tears, I felt relief for Grandma; she was at peace. It was after losing my Grandma that my Aunt Margaret and I became closer; I think she might have taken her place for me.
As the years have passed, some memories of my grandmother stand out more clearly than others. I remember the good with a smile and the bad with a tear. I have memories of brushing her long silver hair as she sat in front of her vanity mirror in her bedroom early in the morning.
I remember watching the Lawrence Welk show with her, what she called "Jonsa-Wax," as she sat in her little sitting room with her stocking feet up on a small stool. I would rub her feet as she watched and tried to sing along with the beautiful ladies. Oh, I can almost smell her feet right now!
I'll never forget the time I sat on a bee and she put mud on my bare bottom in front of God and everyone, or the time I came home so proud the boys at school had taught me something to say in Italian - I can still taste the Fels-Naptha soap!
I remember watching her beat an egg so fast that it was lifted up in the air around the fork she held in her strong hand. I remember the way she never measured ingredients; it was always a splash of this, or a pinch of that.
Mostly I'll remember her warm smile and strong hugs. She could not talk to me very much, but she said plenty.
Article comments
1 - Jordan Richardson
Tremendous piece, Jeannie. Very nicely written. Almost had me crying...almost.
Thank you for sharing.
2 - Jeannie Danna
Thank you! I am now rendered speechless seeing the beautiful way BC displayed Grandma and me. Don't worry about not crying Jordan, I'm doing that for both of us...
3 - Christopher Rose
Nice story, Jeannie, thanks for that and welcome to Blogcritics. I'm looking forward to your next one.
4 - Jeannie Danna
Thanks Mr. Rose! I'm afraid I'll run out of things to say but my husband says, "never!"...smile
5 - Clavos
Wonderful, evocative story, Jeannie; I look forward to more.
I too, was very close to my (maternal) grandmother, but because I was born and grew up in a different country, saw her only sporadically, when we would visit her in New York.
She's been gone for nearly forty years, but the memories are as vivid as ever.
Thanks!
6 - Jeannie Danna
Thanks! I am trying to keep a positive tone in my writing. BC is a wonderful site and this is the most exposure I think I have ever had. It can be a little overwhelming!
7 - roger nowosielski
I thought it was you, Jeannie when I visited your weblog on the other matter. So I'm glad then that you're about to become "a regular" here.
Write some political articles, too. I hate to be the lone ranger being attacked by all the sharks (I'm kidding).
And BTW, I do recommend Clavos for the editing job. In spite of his rather short retort to you on the Notre Dame site, he's very professional in his editorial duties and a great stylist. You're already good writing skills are only bound to get better.
So once again, let me extend my welcome.
Roger
8 - Jeannie Danna
read this I wanted to practice this morning