Long Lost

Dear Grandma,

I hope you doing all right. I decided to write you a letter, just like you asked. How are you doing? We got a new puppy, her name is Cora, she's named after you. She loves walks and baths. She reminds me of you when you were younger from the stories you told me. Young, playful, and full of life. She has a chestnut coat and is part Husky and part German Shepard. Mom got a new job, she now works as a teacher for MIT and has a Doctors degree. That is all thanks to you, without you she wouldn't have been able to do it. Dad still has the same job but now he has a promotion because he took an extra course and they think that he is more experienced. That is all thanks to you. You helped us so much I don't know how to ever pay it back. Now I and Ezra have more money in our college account and can go to whatever college we want. Ezra also now goes to this fancy technology camp. We still fight sometimes but it has gotten better. I remember that you said to pick my fights wisely, I now know what you mean. Not to fight over the little stuff, fight for the stuff that matters to you are the people you care for. We have a foster sister named Amber, she is 9 and goes to elementary school. She loves to learn. She is staying with us until she gets a forever home. she loves Cora, I hope she finds a good home. I also hope her new home has an animal that she can play with. I tell you though, she is very high energy. She loves to draw and she has an imaginary friend named Lilly. I know this letter isn't much and diffidently cant make up for all the things you have done to help us. You have done more than what everyone thought was possible. I hope that when I have more money and work to pay it back just like you did. Life passes by so quickly that we better spend as much time as we can with the ones that we love. That's what you taught me. But I hope you will always remember us. 

Love, Athena

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“Athena”, my mom calls from downstairs, “Are you ready to go”.

I take a deep breath and look down, my letter sealed with a pretty stamp is in my hand. The stamp is Grandma's favorite colors, gold, and silver. I remember she once said to me, gold like the stars and silver as the moon. I look up and stare at the photo of her on my dresser. Her silver hair swirling around her head in the breeze and her smile so happy I start to smile too. I can almost remember that day. We first went to the zoo and then we got ice cream. We decided to take photos on the beach. This one is my favorite. I shake my head of the memory. I stand up, ready.

“As ready as I ever will be.”

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We take the long path there. To think about our thoughts. The music in the car playing softly in the background. I look at the window and see my hometown. Tall maples reach the sky, there leaves bright green. The grass grows tall and yellow as it dances in the breeze. Colorful wildflowers dancing in the breeze. Small little flowers of white yarrow are in bunches as we drive down. Little blue specks of Cornflower plants dot the landscape. Purple-red clover weave in between the colorful hills. We pull up to a marble pillar and come in down the long driveway. 

“Where is grandma,” my voice small in our red Honda.

“She is the 6th one in the 4th row, do you want to come alone or-”, my mom whispers

“Alone!”

“Okay sweetie come back to the car when your ready”, she plants a kiss on my forehead.

I slowly get out of the car and make my way down to the bottom, I walk to row number one. Then I count, making my way up, 1, 2, 3, 4. There it is, row number 4. I take a deep breath and close my eyes, and then open them with newfound confidence. I march right into the row and start counting again. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. I look down and see the words scrawled on, Cora Alice Parker a beloved Grandmother, Mother, and friend, "Stars can't Shine Bright Without Darkness", 1937-2021. I always remembered that was her favorite quote. I pull the note out of my back pocket and start digging in the dirt right next to the headstone. I only stop when I have a hole big enough to fit my letter in. It is about an inch deep, I carefully place my letter down in. I cover the top with dirt and pat it down. I make my way back down the path and to the car.

I make my way back to the car. 

“I’m ready to leave now”.

As we leave down the winding path I notice that they have the status of the Greek Gods. Each one has colorful marble on it, but the one that strikes me the most is Poseidon. It has a big water fountain spurting out of it. I stare at it in awe. Poseidon was always grandmas favorite Greek God. I suddenly feel a wave of calmness wash over me, and at once, everything feels alright. Like life finally makes sense and I understand my place in the world.

The wounds in our hearts will never fully heal, we will just have scars in place of them. Moving on doesn't mean forgetting you Grandma Cora, it means healing, it means laughing and smiling about the moments we have shared together. It doesn't mean mourning your loss, it means celebrating the wonderful life that you had.