Sweet Nans

This is my Sweet Nana. We call her Nans. She is famous in our family for her lasagna, her "telling it to you straight," her brains and most importantly, her unconditional love and protection for her family. She pretty much was the most perfect grandma you could think of. She always had cookies for us in her cookie jar. We had sleepovers and made forts in her backyard. (She didn't even care if we used her good sheets!) She still adored us even though we hid all of her cigarettes she had packed to take on a cruise. (We thought she should quit!) She sent us little bits of cash and told us to keep a stash for a rainy day. "It's good for the soul," she used to say. She could play double solitaire with us for hours and she never let us win! She called and left I love you messages on our answering machine. I loved conversations that began, "Swear you won't breath a word!" and then she'd continue to tell me some bit of juicy Nana gossip. She taught us how to cook. We always joked that Mom had us washing dishes all the time so we never got a chance to learn anything. Nana corrected that. She taught me how to forgive and how to love. She gave me my Mom. She loved me. She loved my kids. She taught me how to decide who I am and have the strength to back it up. I love her.

She died three weeks ago. Cancer that was diagnosed six days before. Two days before she died, I had the chance to spend and afternoon with her. I treasure that time. We talked about a lot of things, but what I remember most was that she told me she loved me, and I did the same to her. We ended with the phrase we always said good bye with, "Love you more than you know." Nana. I love you more than you know. Thank you for loving me.