We all had our memories of my grandmother or, as most people knew her, Nana. She was a special woman who touched the lives of many people in her 90 years of life. She made us laugh, made us cry and often made us say, “Huh??” But this is precisely why we loved her.
So, although this is a somber occasion, I’d like to celebrate the lighter side of Nana’s life. This is the way that I’d like to remember her……
Nana, no doubt, had a way with words. Some of her expressions we didn’t quite understand. But at the same time, we loved hearing her say them. Here are a few that come to my mind…
As a child, I was a bit overweight. I got teased quite a bit, so it’s not surprising that I was a little self-conscious about it. So, I'd go over to Nana's house to visit. A normal greeting from a grandmother would have been “Hello Kenny, it’s so nice to see you.” Or even, “Geez Kenny, you’re getting sooo big.” But not from my Nana. Instead I got, “Aww, there’s my fatsy-boom-ba-latsy!” Yeah, it sounds cute and innocent. But to a chubby seven year old, it was devastating!
And if Nana would sense that I was upset, she would just smile and say “Gee, Manetti!” Oddly enough, it was comforting to hear her say this. But to this day, I still have no idea who Mr. Manetti is or what Nana’s fascination was with him.
Every now and then, Nana would get fired up about something. You might see her pointing her finger or maybe flailing her arms. But when she threw in an emphatic “Go, da!”, you knew you pushed her to the limit. This was another mystery, because she would never really tell us where she wanted us to go. But we had an idea…..
Some grandmothers take up knitting. Others might dabble in the garden. My grandmother was a beer drinker. And she wasn’t any ordinary beer drinker. You see, she only liked her beer in a sixteen ounce can. The reason she told us, was that the traditional twelve ounce cans were just a tease. One sip and it’s all gone. I had a dream one time where Nana was knocking back beers with a motorcycle gang. In this dream, the bikers were saying, “Slow down Nana, save some for the rest of us!”
Nana was a little intimidated by modern technology. She never had cable TV, VCR or even an answering machine. And I don’t think she ever owned anything digital. To this day, she still has one of the old rotary dial phones. When we offered to get her modern push-button phone years ago, she refused by saying, “Gee Manetti, all those buttons are too confusing. ”
On a serious note…..
Nana was one of the most caring people that I ever met. She had a strong belief in God and prayed for everyone. When Ken Jr. was deployed in Iraq last year, Nana used to pull me aside and say, "Ken, have you heard from little Kenny lately? You know, I pray for that boy everyday." And there was no doubt that she did. And even though she had her own health issues over the years, she always worried more about other people than about herself.
When her health really started to decline a couple of years ago, Nana went to live with my sister, Karen. And although this would surely come with added stress and responsibility, Karen wouldn’t have it any other way. As trying as it was, she watched after our grandmother until her final day. Karen has a heart of gold and her big brother is very proud of her.
And it would have been really easy for Tim (my brother-in-law) to get frustrated with the disruption to the normal routine. But he never did. Instead, he supported Karen one hundred percent. Tim, you're a good man and I'm glad you're a part of my family.
During all of this, Kelly (also known as “my other sister”) went way beyond the call of duty, especially during Nana’s final days. I can’t say enough good things about you, Kelly. You are a true friend.
And Kathy, this goes for you too. Even though your plate was full with your own things, you were always there when Karen needed a hand.. Our family can't thank you enough.
Over the past week, many people passed through Karen and Tim’s house to say their final goodbyes to our grandmother. And although it was chaotic at times, it was touching to see all the people that cared about her. Nana will truly be missed.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what kind of car you drive, how big of a house you live in or how much money you have in the bank. If you don’t have family and friends, you’ll die poor.
Yesterday afternoon, Nana danced through the gates of heaven a very rich lady…..
KW
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Ill never forget Nana, especially the funnier times. I remember when we would go to Virginia's for Christmas and all I wanted to do was play with my new toys and video games, and we offered to take nana home - across the street mind you, literally - and that would turn into an hour because of her goodbye routine. It was always an occasion, or event, with her in the picture. Ill always miss her and her prayers for me meant alot. We love you nana.
ReplyDeleteKen Jr.
I have so many fond memories of her that go back so many more years (only because I'm older than most of you, but don't tell anybody.) When I was a kid and she was going out dancing every Saturday night, I would often slip upstairs to her room and root through all her makeups and perfumes until my Grandmother realized I was missing and getting into stuff I shouldn't. The cloud of perfume she brought with her would rock the room. Many years later when my mother's health was failing and she was living with me, Nana would walk to my house every afternoon and I would cook dinner for the two of them. She always insisted on bringing her own beer in a "plain brown wrapper" instead of drinking mine. She thought those she would meet on the street (who she referred to as "nose pickers") were none the wiser as to the contents of the brown paper bag, until someone would say "hey Mary, how many brewskies you got there". She would get really aggravated when that happened. But I was always grateful for the company she was for my mother, even though they did argue a lot, as sisters do. I loved her so much ....
ReplyDeletevirginia
Great Tribute Ken.
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