First, I want to say how happy I am to have had grandma in my life and how proud I am of the life she lived.
She was a constant in my life, my best friend, with whom I shared a special bond. She made the single greatest and longest-lasting impact on who I am today.
It was through her dedication to family, her warmth, thoughtfulness, unconditional love, and endless generosity that she made this impact on me. I have countless memories of her character from childhood to adulthood.
She led by loving example; she let me be myself and, through her nurturing, I longed to be like her. I felt her love and I understood what love is because of her.
She touched the lives of many because she had the ability to see the best qualities in everyone. Everyone who met her understood her sweet nature.
Grandma was never happier than when she was with her loved ones. Her laugh filled the room with happiness and exuded an energy that brought everyone together. Grandma’s laugh and beautiful smile will always be with me.
Both she and my grandfather were selfless beyond definition. Even in her death, grandma continues to give to us in the form of lessons. One of those lessons is about time.
In the moment, it’s almost never that we think about how important the time we spend with each other is, but it is those moments that become the memories we look back upon.
The memories of happy times and sad, of uncertainty and of comfort, of unconditional love that I never felt as strongly as when I was with grandma.
What became clear to me when grandma passed was the importance of using more of the time we’re given here to spend with those we love and care for; to be present, and to cherish that time in the moment, just as grandma did.
Because when it’s all said and done, those of us left in this world will look at each other and ask, where did all the time go?
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This is an excerpt of comments I made at my grandmother’s service, and this fund was set up by our family in her memory.
- Dan Schovain