On Monday June 5, I drove six hours to Bloomington, arriving just in time to meet with the after school gang. I went out to eat with FRD and whipped his whole family in a game of monopoly. As I was leaving FRD’s house, I got the call.
An adventurer. A world traveler.
My grandmother had a massive stroke and was bleeding into her brain. FRD told me, “Go. This is so much more important than graduation.” And so I checked out of the hotel I had checked into only hours before, and got in the car at 11:00 at night, knowing that I would miss FRD graduating from the sixth grade. I drove up to Indy, picked up Michael and we drove through the night back to STL. We talked in the car for the first time since January. Our healing began as our grandmother died. She was dead by the time we arrived at 5:30 AM. We went straight to the hospital, where my parents and uncle and cousin had been sitting throughout the night
A photographer. A sculptor.
In the days after her death, I spent a lot of time with my family. And part of me was thankful that this, the death of my last grandparent, occurred at a time when I could take a week to be with them. In this time, I got to know my youngest cousin and I can only hope that the closeness we developed during this time will carry on without my grandmother’s presence to bind us. In this time, I got to know the Baby Rachel that I have been waiting so long to know. And in this time, I got to finally heal the rift between my brother and myself, finding a new relationship that can withstand loss and grief as well as happiness and joy.
A doctor. An Acupuncturist. An architect.
We all talked a lot about my grandmother during that week. I don’t imagine many children grew up with a grandmother like mine. She was not what you would imagine as a grandmother in almost any sense of the word. Her divergence from this image of grandmother is beyond description. To think of her, as she was and as she never would be, brings a smile to my face.
An Inventor. A fighter.
4 comments:
What a wonderful way to share your grandmother with the rest of us who weren't fortunate enough to meet her! I am glad to hear that so many wonderful things came out of a very sad time. I miss you and plan on taking you up on the "walk HBC through teaching the little ones" talk you promised!
I'm so very sorry for your loss, though I agree with hbc that this is a wonderful way to share your grandmother.
As it happens, your name came up today at work (in a couple of good ways). I hope the rest of your summer goes well. Stop by if you are in the building.
Thanks for your comments.
I have been thinking a lot about you, and really appreciated this post about your grandmother. Thanks!
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