My grandmother, Nanu, died this week at the age of 94. Read about her in an earlier post here. I had the honor of eulogizing her. I have missed her for so long. Here is what I said:
To be adored. To be adored is a rare gift we are given in this life—a gift we are given by the few people who actually care enough to do so—to adore us. To be adored sets a person up for success. We can feel comfortable enough to take risks when someone on this earth believes in us. You know I am going to say that Nanu adored me. And she did—as she adored her children, her husband, her grandchildren, the Epsman’s, and her dear friends. But, oh how I adored her back. Every single little thing about her.
She was my language—the only language I knew. She was an impeccable role model and my champion, my guide, my compass, my always-there. She was confidant, family historian, story teller, discerning eye, inspiration, stylist, and my personal life-long resident hair-brusher. I ate it up. Her good parts and bad. It was all so fun and so amusing. I can say that her intensely strong spirit was contagious and it was great fun to be wrapped up in the hilarious antics of it all. It was even better to lay in the peaceful stillness of her tiny apartment on a random Saturday afternoon—just her and me—stretched out, as she would say, in the gentleness that was her home. The gentleness that was her. Tiny and feisty and fiery, yes. But that was just around lots of people. When it was just us—me and Nanu—it was love a mile wide and all the tenderness I could ever wish for. To lay there and know that the world could stop and it wouldn’t matter because I was there with my Nanu—my precious, beautiful Nanu.
Her umbrella left a big sheltering shadow if you were lucky enough to be standing under it. Her adoration is the reason many of us here today were allowed to become the people we are now.
Dancing at their 65th anniversary party at the Bellagio. |
This photo taken by Lee is everyone’s favorite because it looks just like them, Nanu and Papa Dave. I hope they are in this hot tub together right now or on some cloudy dance floor dancing to When Your Old Wedding Ring Was New. She always loved that song. Click on it and go have a listen. |
beautiful post…. xoxoxo we can all aspire to leave such a legacy of love with our families….thanks for sharing…..xoxoxo
beautiful words for your beautiful Nanu. Lovely.
You really captured….what? It, your special relationship, how Nanu was,
how to be, what is ultimately important.
Thank you for that!
Love
Janice
thinking about you. thinking about you and nanu. thinking about you and nanu and papa dave and all the stories.