My grandmother

My grandmother passed away on Tuesday morning at the age of 94. My yia yia (the word for grandmother in Greek), was an incredible lady who lived a full life, and I cannot believe she is gone.

She was a tiny little lady, but so full of strength. She loved her family, her friends, and her church. She married the love of her life, and spent 63 years with him before he passed away 5 years ago. She traveled the world, moved to a new country and started a life with her family, and embraced everyone she came across. My grandparents were always a stable, consistent presence in my life. When I was a child, sick days were always spent at their home. My yia yia would make me toast with homemade raspberry jam, omelets with feta cheese, and mashed potatoes. I think out of all the things she ever cooked, her mashed potatoes were the only thing that wasn't made from scratch. She used boxed instant mashed potatoes, but even despite that, they were still the best mashed potatoes I ever tasted, and I could never replicate them myself.

My yia yia loved to socialize. Her home was always full of people, whether it be family, out of town visitors, or someone who dropped by to have coffee. She was the consummate hostess, there was always something to be served, always coffee to be brewed, always conversation to be had. She was very involved in the Houston Greek Festival. She was one of the little old ladies who worked behind the scenes to produce the massive amounts of food served at the festival. I am saddened by the fact that I won't ever have my yia yia's tiropitis (cheese puffs) again.

When my yia yia lost my papou (grandfather), she was beyond devastated. She spent the next five years having many conversations with him, even though ht was gone. She was certain that he could hear her. When I got a new car a couple of years ago, my yia yia gave me a picture of my papou to put in the glove compartment because according to her "Papou loved car trips, so he will take them with you."

My yia yia was a woman of great faith. She was a devout attendee of the Greek Orthodox church for most of her life. When I was diagnosed with cancer, she initially became infuriated with God, convinced (according to her) "he made a mistake." However, my yia yia couldn't stay made at God for very long, so she decided to pray my cancer away. She visited the Greek monestary outside of Houston almost weekly, asking for prayers, giving money, getting prayer bracelets. She made phone calls to the church in Greece, she asked for prayers in the church her, and she was certain that she and God were a team, and together they would make my cancer go away. Well, I sit here today cancer-free, so Yia Yia, you did a great job. To this day, my yia yia is the only woman over 90 I've ever seen wearing a Livestrong bracelet, and she wore it almost to her death.

My yia yia always hoped she would live to see one of her grandchildren get married. Unfortunately, that did not happen, but she was so happy when D and I got engaged. She loved him frmo the first moment they met, when he gently kissed her hand, a gesture that went beyond any language barriers that might exist. When she found out about the engagement and saw my ring, she immediately launched into when the wedding would be. We didn't have a date, said maybe sometime next year, and she gave me some of the sagest advice I have ever received: "No one is ever ready to get married, you just do it." I think that is a testament to how sharp her mind remained even though her body failed her.

The night before she passed, the whole family gathered together to say our goodbyes and make our peace. We didn't know when the end would come, but we knew it was soon. My yia yia had taken a turn for the worse, and couldn't really speak. I know she knew we were all there, and I think that gave her the peace she needed to let go. The next morning, with my aunt and my mother by her side, she took her last breath.

I am very sad, but I am also happy that she is no longer in pain. The last year of her life was very difficult because she was in poor health. I would like to think that my yia yia and my papou, the loves of each others lives, are together now, looking over all of us. I hope they are happy, and I know that their memory will live on with us forever.