07/26/2023
my grandfather passed away last year and this weekend I spent time with my grandmother for the first time since his funeral in January.
in the four days I spent in southern California, i found myself experiencing a sense of peace amidst the feelings of sadness felt in his absence. although he was gone, his presence filled the house he had lived with my grandmother and raised my dad and uncles in since the 60s.
he was everywhere.
he was in the eyes of my grandmother as memories of him flooded her mind and he was in the car as I watched my dad navigate the familiar streets of the town he grew up in as if he had never left.
my grandfather's olive and palm trees that he planted some 60 years ago stand tall as visual reminders of him remaining in our lives and as I spend precious time with my little cousins – his great-granddaughters – I can still feel him making an impact on my life.
the tri-cornered flag my grandmother received during his honors sits behind his portrait in the living room illuminated by the electronic flicker of the candles surrounding it.
everything in this house is a memory of the life he and my grandmother built.
thankful for the time spent with my grandmother. she's the matriarch, the rock and the common denominator in our family's lives and living across the country, I cherish any time spent with her.