05/28/2026
Our society tends to fear aging. Fear of changing facial features, fear of showing the evidence of getting older, fear of leaving our youth behind, but aging is such a privilege that not all of us get to experience. My fear of aging has always been rooted in the fear of watching those around me age. Watching my grandparents and parents age at what feels like a quicker rate than myself is a struggle we all feel and all have to confront.
As I have focused more on documenting aging processes, grief, and family the last 2 years - I have had the opportunity to really stare down these concepts face to face. It has lead me to understand others more, learn different grieving processes, and have hard conversations with those facing mortality in the face.
My grandmother [and grandfather] were no exception. I talked to them deeply every time I visited about how they were doing mentally and I cherish every one of those conversations. When people are facing the end of their life, we tend to try to ignore these conversations, but it is the thing most people would like to talk about.
My grandma and grandpa k***z were the glue that held our family together. Grandma was very proud of her grandchildren and was excited for her great grandchildren. She was stubborn, driven, supportive and nurturing to us. She loved to read, and I would often drop off books for her - she loved historical fiction.
In the last year, my art work about our family has traveled to Ireland, England, Italy, Germany, and all around the United States. She was so proud of that, and told me that Grandpa would have loved every minute of it.
Thank you for giving my cousins and I a space to connect while we were growing up. It made them all feel like siblings rather than cousins. Thank you for coming to every dance recital, play, and sporting event I was involved with. Thank you for telling me you were proud of me. Although our family dynamic feels much different now- I am grateful for all of the close memories that you provided with us along the way.
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