Remembering my Nana.

“Other things may change but we start and end with family”  ~ Anthony Brandt

Today I lost my very special Nana.  I knew it was today.  I was running alone this morning and a hummingbird (her favorite bird) flew right in my path and stood still for seconds.

Muriel was 93 years old, lived in Cape Cod, Mass. and was the most amazing Nana ever.  She was a wonderful cook ( my favorites were fried dough and dumplings) she was strong (she swam miles in the ocean every day until she was 85 years old), she was talented (she did a headstand in front of my class when I was in 3rd grade) she was funny (dressing up in pearls and gloves to meet her girlfriends at the beach just to make them laugh), she was spontaneous (her and I jumped a fence to sneak into the Willie Nelson concert (she was 67–I was 15) she taught me how to drive (she would scoot way over against the door and I would sit in the driver seat and push the pedals and steer–I was 13), she was hip (had a poster of Clay Aiken above her bed),  she believed in me (she bought my first digital SLR camera 6 years ago),  she loved me a lot and I always knew it.  She was soft spoken yet witty, crafty and creative, watched Days of Our Lives every day, and (I believed) was a  bit before her time.  Nana was a grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, mother, wife and friend and has impacted our lives forever. I hope one day I grow up to be a Nana just like her.