i was gonna blog about what i've been doing the past few weekends... but i'll save that for another post...
i went to Ny's (well inside) house for the first time on Sunday... it's a very cozy home... and after sitting there quietly for a while... i can tell that it's a house that has been filled with love... great conversations... lessons learned... tears that have been shed and wiped away with comfort, support, and the reassurance that everything will be ok... and tough love... i sensed a lot of that... lol...
now... out of all of the things that i noticed in his house... the one thing... well... the one person actually that stood out the most was his grandmother... I walked down a short hall to meet her... but what that hall lacked in depth it made up for in memories...
it was filled of pictures of a very strong and tight nit family that has been built over many years... the last picture that i noticed was a beautiful young woman... she looked like a porcelain doll... she wasn't smiling... but at the same time she didn't look sad... her picture emanated a type of confidence that high fashion models dream of having... the type of confidence that you could tell that she was born with... i would come to realize that woman was Ny's grandmother who they affectionately called... "Na Na"
"Na Na" is a smalled framed woman... who can stand with the help of a walker... and hear with the assistance of a hearing aid... she's has a very fragile frame and a beautiful smile... yet the same confidence that i saw in that picture taken of her so many years ago... still radiated from the woman that stood before me...
she stood up to greet me... extended her hand... and asked me if i'm taking care of her grandson... and i assured her that i was... and in those few short moments i had been introduced to the foundation of the Hall family...
after leaving Ny's house "Na Na" came to my mind...
it's hard to say goodbye to people that have watched us grow over the years... people that have guided us on the right path... and are a major part of the reason that we are so successful... we think that they'll be with us forever... until that day comes when we realize their time is limited on this earth... and we will only have memories of them to hold onto... and i know this is what Ny is going through now... and actually this is what i'm dealing with as well...
as a child i remember my grandmother (well she's my grandmother by marriage... but she's always treated me like blood...) always in the kitchen... as a matter of fact my fondest memory is of this checkerboard chocolate and vanilla cake... it was amazing... i still can figure out how she made it look like a checkerboard... but she did... she always put care, love, and creativity into her cooking... and instilled that into her children... and grandchildren... and great grandchildren...
now the women that made that amazing checkerboard cake can hardly walk... she has to have help to do practically everything... but... she still has her wit about her... and is still able to bring creativity out of everyone and everything around her...
a while ago i went to visit her... and expressed to her how thankful i am that i had the opportunity to have a grandmother like her... who always treated me like i was her own... who allowed me to let me know how it felt to be loved by a grandma (gotta give flowers while you can still smell them...) ... cause it's different than parents... or siblings love... it's the type of love that's always kind... and helps you to realize what real love truly is... you know the kind of love that the Bible describes... and i'm just glad that i am loved like that...
Nola*
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