January 8, 2007

  • he came back home!

    i'm still sad about my grandfather passing.    i was speaking with my mother today and she was telling me about my grandmother's reaction.  when they told her yesterday that grandfather had passed away, she was kind of in disbelief, confused and scared.  my mom told me that this morning my cousin lucy found my grandmother crying.  lucy didn't know what to do so she called her two older brothers to talk to grandmother.  after grandmother hung up the phone with my cousin, she asked my cousin lucy, "how is grandfather?"  apparently she has moments of clarity and moments of confusion.  a part of me thinks that this is a blessing in disguise because she forgets so easily she will probably just live life as a happy-go-lucky lady. 

    when i called my mother today, she told me that they had laid out a tray of rice, veggies, incense, a blown up picture of my grandfather and an electrical candle light so that the spirit of my grandfather would know where his home is.  my cousin has been up almost every hour making sure that the incense is buring constantly.  my mother says that the spirit of the dead will normally come back and you will see a foot print in the rice.  she said that they found a handprint in the rice today.  she thinks that since grandfather hasn't been walking in awhile, maybe he crawled back.  i suggested that since he was in a wheelchair for so long that he wheeled himself back home and grabbed a handful of rice.  no one took a picture of the handprint - it would have been cool to see.  when i was talking to my mom, i could hear my cousin yelling in the background.  apparently my grandmother took the tray and shook it and the handprint was gone forever.  aiya grandmother!!!!  that handprint story my mother told me made me feel better.  it was as if my grandfather knew where his home was and had come back to visit. 

    gongnmila milacoloringwgong

    mila coloring with her great-grandfather.  i'm glad ed had me take these pictures.  they were so cute and so endearing.  it's not normal for mila to feel so comfortable with people she doesn't know very well.  but when she saw him, she walked up to him and she would color with him or touch his hand or hold his hand and he would have tears in his eyes.  i was so glad that they shared these brief moments together and that i was able to capture them in pictures - even if they are from my cell phone.  at least there is photographic proof of this very tender moment.

    now all i am waiting for is when my mother calls me to tell me when the funeral is. . .