Oh, Grammy

It has certainly been awhile.... and I have missed writing! While I originally intended the blog as a Lenten practice, it turned into so much more....and even though Lent is long over, I do plan to keep the blog open, in case I randomly have something I want to share. In this case, I would like to share with you a piece of writing that I read aloud at my grandmother's memorial service, just yesterday. She was certainly one-of-a-kind. Hope you enjoy...

Grammy

In moments like these, words seem like such fragile, futile vessels for capturing a human life…for trying to contain the whole colorful, vibrant world of someone like my grandmother and somehow give it new breath. I can’t begin to pin down a life so full of motion, activity, laughter, love, and adventure….of secrets I’ll never know and stories I’ll never forget. Even in death, this wonderful, wild woman simply won’t be held down or summed up. So I’ll choose my words sparingly but deliberately…and offer up just another brush stroke as we re-member Grammy together.

Growing up, I knew Grammy was quite unlike any other. Other people would sometimes describe their grandmothers to me and I would chuckle to myself…. demure, quiet, likes to crochet? Not my Grammy! Grammy’s life was constantly brimming with adventure. She was always going, going, going. Running races, traveling the world, tutoring children, gallivanting about town with friends, fighting for causes, and supporting all of her children and grandchildren at games, plays, concerts, graduations, and the like. I might be one of the few people who can honestly say that my grandmother had a more complicated schedule than I do.

Grammy always had an incredible capacity for celebrating and enjoying life….every sweet drop of it….from an appreciation for art and culture, to her affinity  for parties and social gatherings, to her simple love of a sun-soaked day at the beach with drink in hand.

  And in all circumstances, she was unapologetically herself…comfortable in her own skin, whether playing basketball or dancing at a party or even walking around- as she did one fateful trip to the Bahamas- without any pants on (don’t worry, she had a bathing suit cover up on…but still)…she was who she was…and proud of it! How many times have I heard or used the phrase… “Oooh, Grammy” upon knowledge of another adventure or campaign or humorous conversation….But it’s always said with a smile…I think we simply can’t help but admire someone who lives so boldly and unashamedly… perhaps because deep down we all wish we could do that.

As I’ve gotten older—especially in the past few years, I have grown to see Grammy from an even clearer perspective. On more than one occasion, I’ve recounted—beyond merely funny stories— how grateful I am to have known and been related to such a passionate, courageous woman. I believe that my own love for language and literature, my passion for women’s empowerment, my knack for teaching, and my gutsy “tell it like it is” tendency has to be inherited- at least in part- from her. I’ve come to admire her fiesty perseverance and spunky resilience, her loyalty to friends and family, and her ability to do what few of us have the courage to do with integrity: to wake up each day and face the world head on, without apology or pretense…to drink in each moment and experience the whole, brilliant landscape of life…to laugh and to live from the very core.

This part’s for you, Grammy—improper as it may be, I think you’d appreciate it. I have to admit, for the past several days, a smile keeps creeping to my face as I can’t stop imagining Grammy running into Heaven, as she did upon finishing so many of her races in this life, with a wide grin and a hearty, “Somebody bring me a beer!” Yup. That’s my Grammy. And I’m proud of it. I love you, Grammy, and I’m so thankful for your life.