Dear Nana,

It hasn't been that long since you've been gone. I would say around a month, maybe even less. Needless to say, I miss you. You've made a huge impact on me.

You might be wondering how everything is, and it's as good as it usually is. My exams are coming soon, so school is stressful. I still play the flute, and I want to be a music teacher. It's not much, but I love it. I'll be going to college in a year, which is a lot to handle. It's hard to mentally prepare myself for all of this. The weather is still terrible here, but in India, it's not too cold, not too hot. It's quiet also. It's empty.

We have shared a lot of memories, regardless of how big or small they were. Do you remember when you would just let me and Maanav watch shows on the small television you had? We would turn it on while you would be sleeping, but you wouldn't care. Even if I offered to turn it off to let you sleep, you would still let us watch.

I remember you just sitting by your swing in front of the house. You never sat on the swing but always on the plastic chair next to it. Sometimes, Maanav and I would join you, but mostly it was Maanav.

You would let him buy ice cream from the shop in front of the society, and he wouldn't have to worry about paying. You wouldn't let anyone worry about how much money was spent on buying ice cream. It was something that I admired about you. You wouldn't let anyone worry too much about anything.

Along with that, you were able to put a smile on anyone's face. You had a natural humor that made anyone laugh. You were just so chill, no worries in the world. You didn't care if I laughed at you. When you came over to stay at my house, I would ask what you did all day. You would say that you sat on the chair, then watched cricket or the news and then continued sitting on the chair. The house would be empty, except for you and Nani.

I want to say "thank you."

You have given me so much, but I wasn't able to repay you back. I did small things for you, but it just wasn't enough. We may not have been close, but I'm still happy that you were in my life. You made me laugh and smile with the silly things you would say. You taught me so many things. They may not have been direct, but I still took them as lessons of their own.

You taught me to not worry so much about the little things. You taught me to keep smiling no matter what and that it's OK to be alone for hours.

Thank you for all the memories, laughs, smiles, conversations and much more. I want you to know that I miss you a lot, and I will continue to miss you. There's still a place for you in my heart, and it won't go away. Because of that, you will continue to live on in my memories and in my heart. I love you.

Your granddaughter,
Madhavi