Family Time

This post is for me to remember the weekend, but you are welcome to read!


As I have written countless times, my grandparents were very ill this year and have recently both passed away. Papa's death was a little more sudden, so many people who never had the chance to say goodbye flew long distances to attend his wake and funeral. Many of them knew they probably would not make it back (for various reasons) for my grandmother's impending funeral, and so said their goodbyes to her three months ago.

While I understand that everyone is busy, I was rather saddened at how few people were at Nana's funeral today. My grandfather was the stereotypical spokes person for the family; the name people knew. My grandmother was the caretaker and the one who "made things happen" in the background just to make him look good. He deeply cared for, appreciated and loved her - they had a twinkle in their eye when they gazed at each other, even after 62 years of marriage. But still, I feel like he often took a lot of credit while she was the supporting actress who merely received a liner note. Anyway....I am not bitter towards him, just sad that she didn't get more credit. I know she is certainly enjoying her reward in Heaven now!

I was so glad that my immediate family was able to give up our weekends, rearrange exam schedules, and quickly arrange carpools so we could all attend Nana's funeral in St. Pete.

Yesterday we all arrived just in time to head to the funeral home for the viewing and memorial service. My aunt had gathered dozens of pictures of Nana from the last 70 years and placed the collages around the room. It was wonderful to see such vibrant, radiant pictures of her. My favorites were of her in her Bermuda shorts, golf shirts and Jackie O cardigans out with all the ladies on the golf course.

After the wake, my immediate family went out to dinner and then returned to the hotel room where we watched a DVD that my cousins Brian and Jennifer had been working on for a few years. Jennifer and her husband had spent a few afternoons recording Papa make some of his famous Italian dishes. Brian edited the film onto a DVD, where each recipe was like it's own cooking show. The end of the DVD had a section where my grandfather told jokes and reminisced about the old days. He also left a few words of advice. Unfortunately the interviews were filmed after Nana had been hospitalized, but the cooking scenes were full of her snitching bites when Papa was turn away, or of her cracking jokes about him under her breath. It was incredible to see just how joyful both of them were.

So there we sat, all 9 of us (Eric couldn't make it) plus my other set of grandparents (long cute story, but they knew my Dad's parents before my parents even met!) with popcorn and a few bottles of wine piled in to a suite at the hotel watching recipe after recipe. After each one we'd say, "okay just one more, then it's time to go to bed" It was an incredible way to add closure, laughs, and memories to a rather sad weekend.

This morning we scrambled out the door for the funeral Mass, and grave side service. My cousins Lindsay and Corey both delivered incredible eulogies recalling both the glamorous yet honest lives my grandparents lived. My uncle was presented with the military flag that did not arrive in time for my grandfather's funeral and my aunt was presented with the crucifix from the wake. Both were very emotional moments.

After we returned to my aunt's house for lunch and more stories. I spent some time talking with Nana's brother, asking them questions of their childhood. Nana and Papa met when she was only 12, but he was sent off to WWII. She dated while he was gone, but they were married upon his return home when she was only 19. Uncle Al also said that Nana wasn't supposed to date without a chaperone while in high school, so she would arrange for her shy brother Al to take one of her friends out on a double date so she could go out with whomever had asked her out that week!

This last few months I have learned that there is NOTHING more important that time spent with family. Not that I didn't know that already... but it was certainly reaffirming that it was the right choice to leave someone else in charge of the end-of-the-year party for middle school so I could be there with my family. God blessed every moment of our family time; and He blessed me with an incredible group of women and fiance who took my place at work and made it one of the best nights ever!

The last few months I have also come to know just how strong my faith is. It has certainly been tested lately, but it was my faith that carried me through it all. I hope that God has been able to use this time in my family's life as a witness of His greatness! While I have been incredibly sad, and certainly done my share of crying, my faith and hope has calmed my heart and been a constant reminder that Nana and Papa are truly in a better place. To know that neither of them is suffering any more makes my heart so happy!

On a side note. When we first found out that Alex & Dee were pregnant with Connor, my dad kept saying that he was born when he was for a reason. I believe that Connor has been the little light that my dad has needed to help him through these trying times.