August 3, 2010

Nana,
I can’t believe you are gone… I thought you would be here forever, my friend for life. As I sit here, in the middle of the night, tears streaming down my face, replaying my life in my head, I realize that you were always there to hold my hand~ through the good times and the bad, the happy and the sad.  I realize that from you, I learned important lessons about life….

You taught me

To cherish literature… as you curled up next to me on my overnights, the big red book of favorite stories in your hands.  Your animated voices kept me up long past my bedtime, mesmerized by your passion and enthusiasm.  It didn’t matter how often you read them, I never tired of hearing them from you.

You taught me

To never stop learning… how many nights did I cry on your shoulder, certain that I couldn’t finish my Master’s Degree with a full time job and a young child of my own? Your encouragement kept me going because I wanted to make you proud, because I wanted to prove that I could do it… and I did.

You taught me

To experience new things…  from candy making to Chinese cooking… sitting for hours, watching you toss ingredient after ingredient into the wok, writing down every step, because I wanted to make it just like you,  and because you, “didn’t really have a recipe.”

You taught me

To celebrate each holiday by completely decorating the house for the season and surrounding yourself with family and good food.  Santa Clauses that sang Christmas carols and Easter Bunnies that did the Bunny Hop always filled the house, bringing smiles and movement to the youngest family members.

You taught me

To give is better than to receive, through your incredibly generous nature.  Garbage bags replaced stockings at Christmas because you so enjoyed shopping and buying dozens of gifts for each and every one of your children and grandchildren.  Your stocking was always left untouched because you didn’t want to miss the look of joy as it spread across each of our faces as we opened the treasures.

You taught me

To cherish the gift of writing with the precious poems you worked diligently to write…late into the night, pen in hand, documenting the special moments of each year in birthday poems for Cole and Maddison.   You taught me the importance of keeping a journal, to “document those precious moments before they slip away.”

You taught me

To appreciate the Arts…. how many musicals did we see together at the Lied?  At times, laughing so hard that we’d have to cover our mouths to stifle the sound.  The countless times you had to rifle through your purse to find a tissue when my tears and sobbing would not cease, or those few times we had to nudge each other to stop the other from snoring.

You taught me

To appreciate Husker Football.   To this day I can’t forget the way you were able to precisely tear each page of your program into inch strips, the result being a perfect pom-pom!  I know now that it was your way of battling the nervous energy that accompanied each football game Papa helped coach, but back then, we though you made them just for us!

You taught me

To always act like a lady...  to care about my appearance and always look my best.  I will always blame you for my obsession with clothes, jewelry and shoes.  You taught me to use the English language, and especially to, “never end a sentence with a preposition.”

You taught me

To truly care about others.  Though you and Papa, I was able to witness a sweet, true love.  Two people who genuinely loved, cared for and had mutual respect for each other.  Watching the two of you jokingly tease each other, hold each other tightly when you danced or just walk hand in hand, made me feel warm inside and always made me believe that love stories could come true.

But most of all, you taught me to love unconditionally, to forgive and forget, and to always keep your family and friends close.  You are, and will always be, my hero, Nana.  And I know, now that you are in Heaven, all those angels will always adorn great earrings and necklaces and none of them will ever end their sentences with prepositions. 

I love you.