The above picture is me with my maternal grandmother, taken at my university, December 1999.
My stepfather called me early morning Japan time on July 8 of this year. Once I said, "Hello," I heard my mother crying in the background, and I knew exactly what had happened. My mother told me way back in March that my grandmother was fighting cancer. They expected her to go any day at that time. It was a miracle that she made it this long.
In U.S. time, she died on 7/7/07, which is funny, because it doesn't seem like such a lucky day for my family.
I spent the next day getting a ticket to Birmingham, AL. I made it there on July 13, in time for the wake. Then I attended the funeral the next day. I didn't shed any tears; I think I was too worn out from the 17-hour trip from Japan. But I was certainly sad. The funeral was in the church my grandmother pastored; it was strange to see a church service going on there without her.
Nobody that close to me has passed away before. She meant a lot to me. In fact, she actually raised me for a year, along with my grandfather, while my parents were going through some rough times. She's responsible as much as anybody for making me into the person I am today.
While the funeral was sad, it was a beautiful thing, though, because it brought together my whole family. I saw relatives I haven't seen for years, including a cousin I haven't seen since elementary school. I saw my brother for the first time in over four years. I saw my grandfather for the first time in five years. In addition, I went back to Birmingham for the first time in over five years. A lot has changed, mainly the city has gotten worse and more decayed. That was sad to see. But there will be a place in my heart for Birmingham; that is where I spent the first years of my life, and that is where a lot of my relatives remain. And, that is where my grandmother lived and was laid to rest. I love you, Grandma.
