There was a very happy soul in the Universe Sunday night. She was smiling down by the light of the summer moon. Her womb hadn't been full for almost sixty years, but there was a pulse of the lives that started from within her mother spirit all those years ago that echoed off the stars. Sunday evening she felt pride that after all the ups and downs of life, her babies still reunite and celebrate the connection they share, which includes sharing their children, and sharing their children's children. What greater affirmation is there for a life well-lived and love-filled than that family chain continuing to enjoy each other's company long after your mother-self has left the Earth?!
I've written about my Nana before, and I feel her presence with me at all times, but Sunday was special. Of her three children, my mom and Uncle Denny are the two still living. My beloved Uncle Rusty passed from cancer two years ago. My mom, nephew and I are traveling to Colorado next week to see his family, and we're beyond excited! On Sunday, my mom and I had a dinner at our home as a reunion of sorts. Denny and my Aunt Vicky's daughter and granddaughter, Nicole and Cassidy, were visiting from Idaho. They all came, and my brother, Keith, Sonja and my nephews came for a nice dinner. The great surprise of the night was that Denny and Vicky's son, Jim, his wife, Lisa, and their daughter, Sidney, and twins Jade and Marcus were able to come at the last minute. With the exception of my Uncle Rusty's family in Colorado, all of Nana's family was together!
As I watched the evening unfold, I watched grandchildren parent her great-grandchildren. I imagined the way she would interact with each great-grandchild if she could have been there. I looked around the dinner table and imagined I was looking through her eyes, watching all the great-grandchildren who ranged from twin toddlers to two three-year olds (one boy, one girl), and a six year old boy. Then there was the honorary guest, fourteen-year old Cassidy, who was the one great-grandchild who Nana had the pleasure of holding in her arms. My mom was able to find pictures of both Nana and I holding Cassidy as an infant, and it was so special watching Cassidy look at them and seeing her smile when she found out they were hers to keep. She was too young to remember the occasion, but it was sweet to watch the picture show her how beloved she was (and still is.)
Nana and I shared a very close relationship. I was the first grandchild of six, and she and I shared in our unique spirituality/religion, our love of writing, to state just a few common traits. Perhaps the oddest thing for me about Sunday's dinner was that of the four grandchildren present, I was the only one without a child of my own. It made me sad, but ultimately I know that the reason my child wasn't there was because my son is already with her. I lost Gabriel just five short months before Nana died. Perhaps the greatest comfort I have with Gabriel's passing is knowing that Nana is with him every day, nurturing and loving him in ways that gives my heart peace.
Sunday's dinner was Nana's legacy alive and thriving. Every tiny footstep of a great-grandchild held at least part of her spirit in a pitter of the pitter-patter. It was a lovely reunion of a people whose lives may all go in different directions, but there is still an enduring love of family at its core. I feel so blessed to have shared in the evening together!
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