Despite the fact that we have never physically met, I think of both of you every day. I used to look at the pictures my family had of you and would make up scenarios in my head of all the fun activities we would have done if we had time on this earth together. I thought about the walks we would have taken together through our neighborhoods, or the whole family spending time together by the pool. Even though we never had these moments, I still feel like I have learned from you. I realize now that I have learned from you through my family, especially my parents.
Grandma Pearl, I asked my mother to describe you and she said you were, “One of the sweetest, most lovable people ever. All of our friends loved her and hung out at our house. Loved her children more than anything. Loved to cook and bake. Read voraciously. She was beautiful inside and out. One of the saddest days was when she died. She was the heart of our family.”
From this description, I realize that these are all the traits I want in myself, and I do my best to embody them. My mother tells me about you a lot, especially when she cooks or bakes in the kitchen with your recipes. She would describe to her children with four pairs of wondrous eyes exactly how you would do it when she was younger. Only now do I realize that she has put a little bit of your love into everything she makes for her children, and she taught me, unknowingly to both of us, how I can put a little bit of your love into everything I make, too.
Grandpa Rudy, my father said you were “A very good person. Always smiling. Laughed often. Amazing voice. Great singer. Loved to sing in the choir at church. Loved his family more than anything.” Your children have told me a multitude of stories about how hard working, yet fun you were; how you would work all day but still made time to laugh with them. I see you in my father when he works long, hard days to do everything he can for his patients. He taught me how to work hard for what I want and the people I love, and I think of you every time I succeed in this act. I also realize where my father and my sense of humor comes from, and if we had been together for a while I bet we would have had a lot of laughs.
I imagine both of you watching over me, working together as my guardian angels even though you two never met on this earth, either. I look forward to the day when we can bake together, Grandma Pearl, you teaching me all your little secrets. The jokes we will share, Grandpa Rudy, are already making me smile and laugh. I thank you both for everything you have done for me, like raising such wonderful children to be my parents. I love both of you with my whole being and I cannot wait to meet you, whenever and wherever it may be.
