Eulogy for Nana

When my brother and I would come to visit Fairport, our first sunny day with Nana would begin as soon as she could drag us out of bed. We all had breakfast, filled our sports bottles with Gatorade, gathered our tennis rackets and gear, packed some old bread for the ducks, put our bikes on the car, and set off for the park, listening to classical music on the radio.

Over the course of the day we rode our bikes along the canal, fed the very appreciative ducks, played a few games of tennis, and rode to Pizza Hut for lunch. Sometimes, for good measure, we played basketball and climbed around on the playground. And we were smiling and laughing the whole time.

By the end of it all my brother and I were pretty exhausted, so when we finally got back home we would crash on the couch. Not Nana— She got busy preparing a nice dinner and telling everyone else about the adventures we’d had that day.

By all accounts Nana was a beautiful person. But she held a deeper beauty — something distinctly human that so few achieve — and she made it look easy. In her life she reached a higher level of existence — she was wonderful at what she did and she loved doing it. And, luckily for us, she loved sharing her talents with others. She was radiant, and bathed all those around her in the glow of her presence.

She raised three lovely daughters, raised four beautiful grandchildren (if I do say so myself), and raised all of us to brighter lives in which we will continue to love her even when she’s not around.

See, Nana wasn’t suddenly taken from us. She was graciously delivered to us for almost 80 years, and for that I am eternally grateful.