Grief and Thanks

Just as when the inside of a volcano rumbles and the earth around it falls, when the mother rock of your family cries, the smaller rocks tumble.

I am thinking of my grandmother now and only imagining how she feels. She lost her oldest daughter, my mother, eighteen months ago. She lost her oldest son two months ago and is losing her youngest son currently. As well, her second youngest daughter is battling a downhill battle with cancer.

My grandmother is 95 and has seen seven children struggle through life; some harder than others. Through it all, she remained strong. I never once saw her cry. A week after we found out about my most recent uncle's prognosis, I called to see how she was holding up. She told me that she could not take witnessing another child die, started to cry and excused herself from our conversation. My grandmother and my mother were always my rocks. When my grandmother cried that day, I fell apart.

I must regain composure and use my grandmother's model of strength for my own offspring. If there is anything I have gained from reflection on this incident, it is the knowledge that a parent has to be strong for her kids no matter what their age. Thanks, Nana!