Ode to Nana

Nov 8, 2022, 8:43 AM

Well fellas, my dear beloved 96 year old Nana finally went to her great reward yesterday. It was well past time, as over the last several years her body had outlived her mind and Covid finally did her in with a resultant stroke that left her bedridden and near-comatose for two years.

Before that though, she was one of those grandmothers/great-grandmothers that I wish everyone could have. She was the loudest voice at every sporting event of my youth. She spoiled my cousins and me, and later our kids completely rotten--she was (quite wrongly yet admirably) convinced none of us could do any wrong. She could make country style steak and gravy that would make James Beard weep with joy. More than anything, she embodied an old-fashioned sense of family---blood truly is thicker than water and it was everything to her---if you were a member of her family, no matter what you did for a hobby or profession, you were the best at it in her mind and she loved you unconditionally.

There's an old joke about "let me be the person my dog thinks I am". In honor of her, I'll tweak it and continue trying to be the person my Nana thought I was. Probably never reach it, but it's a blessing to have someone in your life that thinks of you that way nonetheless. Rest in Peace Nana, and thank you for everything.