Eulogy

Dear Grandma,

What is Heaven like?

Is it all card games and crosswords?
Are you surrounded by giraffes and Tweety Birds, teddy bears and stuffed dogs?
Does Notre Dame always win?

In Heaven,
Does everyone smile with their own teeth?
Walk with their own two legs?
Are your hands still cold?
Is your coffee still too hot?
Are the candies still sugarless?

Or is Heaven something else?

Is Heaven watching your children grow?
Is Heaven watching your grandchildren grow?

Do you get to relive the best moments of your life?

Maybe Jim picks you a dandilion every day, wrapping it in aluminum foil.
Maybe you have to put an ice cube on my burning index finger after trying again in vein to teach me how to light a match.
Which reminds me: could you show me one more time the right way to swirl the spaghetti around the fork with a spoon? I was having some trouble the other day with some angel hair pasta. It kept slipping through the tines.

You would be the expert on angel hair now.

I know that when I get to Heaven, and I get to relive the best moments of my life,

I’ll be
Playing Kings in the Corner at the nursing home
Watching Hawaii 5-O and Ironsides after school
And playing with a large collection of small toy airplanes on your living room floor
All with you.

And I’ll have you tell me once more about the time you went to the movies on a first date and saw Pinocchio. I really like that story.

I love you, and I’ll miss you.

Your Favorite Grandson,
Nathan

Your Voice

Your voice
Is separate
From the collection of voices