Bobby's mom called us on Sunday to let us know that her mother had passed away that afternoon. Grandma Luce, or "Celia the Great" as Alice and her siblings will come to know her, has been a powerful influence of love in my life. Directly and indirectly.
I felt that Celia the Great loved me from the moment I met her. I think that's how she is. She can love unconditionally. She openly shares everything she has. Even the most precious things---love poetry between her and her husband, stories from her childhood and adulthood, and the pictures and lives of loved ones I never got to meet. Though I married into her family, I never felt like an outsider. That was the greatest gift of love.
Perhaps my feelings can be summed up with the following story: When Bobby and I learned that the babe was a girl, we started sifting through all sorts of family history compilations and journals to learn more about the amazing women in our families. We happened upon a picture of Celia as a young adult---smiling, almost radiant. I somehow knew at that moment that if I had been her contemporary, I would have been her friend. She simply embodied love.
Yes. That's about right.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
I've heard you and Bobby talk about her and I'm pretty sure that I met her at your wedding.
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother told me on Sunday when I called her that I was her friend. I think it was the greatest compliment and affirmation about our relationship.