Remembering Old Grandma

It’s been a year since I had to say goodbye to one of my favorite people ever, and, if I’m being honest, I still can’t believe she’s gone. I tried to write this in the days, weeks and months after saying goodbye, but every holiday that passed was just as hard as the last and everything still seems to remind me of her.

When I was growing up, we spent a lot of time with my grandparents. We even got to live with them for a few years. My dad adopted us when we were little so when we got new grandparents on his side, we started calling my mom’s parents “Old Grandma” and “Old Grandpa”. The nicknames stuck and even though they were young for grandparents, they loved telling the story. Looking back, I realize how lucky I am that we all got to spend so much time together.

I developed a love for all things crafty, the color pink and Fig Newtons from my Old Grandma. As I got older, we bonded over our obsession with black iced coffee, rooted for the UCONN Huskies together, traded interior design ideas (she was a walking Pinterest board before there was Pinterest!) and shared early morning emails back and forth before work.

Shortly after my wedding, she was diagnosed with cancer. As soon as she got her diagnosis, I became her personal manicurist. I would visit with a bunch of color options and she would always choose a new one. Red, champagne, pearl, pink – she loved it all. It was a long road, with lots of highs and lows, but our manicure dates were something we both looked forward to. Right before she passed, I visited with a bunch of new colors. She picked a light pink with shimmer and I sat by her side, painting and chatting. Surrounded by our family, she promised me she would save me a seat when she got to heaven. We all joked that it was probably just because she needed me to paint her nails. After I finished her manicure, we talked about where the rest of us should go for dinner. We decided on a local brewery/pizza place and she told us to have a drink for her. When we asked what we should cheers to, she responded “Cheers to a good life!”

May 22nd was Old Grandpa’s birthday. He passed away shortly before his birthday five years ago. The years after losing him were hard for all of us, but they were especially hard for my grandma. And on May 22, 2017, one year ago, he got the best birthday gift — to be reunited with her.

So, while it’s been a year of missing Old Grandma, we wish Old Grandpa a very happy birthday in heaven and pour a drink to cheers to a good life!