Friday, April 10, 2015

In memory...

This past March has been a difficult one. On 14th March, barely 20 days after my grandparents' 65th wedding anniversary, my grandfather passed away. Yes, it has been a difficult month - and even now, I find myself bereft of words - unable to articulate our huge loss, unable to write a fitting epitaph to his towering life. Stock phrases are of scant comfort - I know he lived a full, rich life; I know that at 88, every day we had with him was a blessing! - but the cold fact remains that Aaba is gone forever. No more elaborate family histories, no more Metamucil, no more Modi tales.

My extended family gathered around my grandmother, needing to comfort her - as much as we may miss Aaba, for Aaji - I can't even begin to imagine what she's going through. 65 years - lives so closely intertwined - sundered apart in a second. Her blank eyes and still hands say it all - and yet from some deep reserves she is summoning up the courage to face the empty day, to retain a semblance of normalcy - all so that we don't worry about her. What absolute strength of character!

And while Aaba will be deeply mourned by many, I do hope that we can also find a way to celebrate his incredible life. It is up to us, his grand-children, to carry his legacy forward, to make sure that those stories, those memories - bittersweet today, invaluable tomorrow - remain alive, and above all, to learn to live like he did - Carpe diem, and full force ahead!!

I will miss you, Aaba.

2 comments:

  1. Please accept my condolences.... loosing a loved one is very hard and it is impossible to go back to how life was as before.....

    ReplyDelete