Its been a long battle but this morning my Nonna passed away. Though I have had a couple of weeks to come to terms with the notion that she may pass it didn't quite feel real.
I had a very special bond with Nonna from the beginning, she was always 'my nonna'. She was loving, full of wisdom, insightfullness, generous, funny and kind. Being her first grandchildren and triplets we got alot of her attention. She spent alot of time babysitting us and making Sunday dinner. She shared alot of her rich Sicilian Italian heritage with us and I always felt very connected to her and that culture because of her.
My sister spent some time today reminiscing about the things she remembers best about Nonna and special times with her. I wanted to add some of my own. So here are mine.....
As kids we would dress in my aunt's bridesmaid outfits and parade around the table at Nonna's and she would sing 'Here comes the bride' and she would say someday you will 'go married' .
We would spend Sunday afternoons playing at her house while my mom and dad went out and I remember she would give us some money to go across the street to Ed mini-mart to by hostess cupcakes or slush puppies... we felt like we were getting away with something!
We would sleep over at Nonna's and stay upstairs with my aunt... I always seemed to be the bravest and stay the whole night and in the morning I would help roll out meatballs and watch Nonna cook them out on the deck... she made cooking meatballs look so easy.
Speaking of food there was never a lack of really good food whenever I came over, it could be lasanga, spethini, cream puffs or just cantelope and it would be good. No body except maybe Carmela could cook like her. Her pizza, soup, stuffed shrimp and clams, turkey and stuffing, fish, lasanga, meatballs and spethini were my all time favorites. She loved with food, and even if you were not hungry you ate because it made her happy. I love with food too and I know its because of her.....
One of my all time favorites was her little meatball soup that she would make only for me and my sisters, any time we asked. As kids she would cool each brown wooden bowl (they reminded me of the top of an acorn) of soup outside so it wouldn't be too hot. She inspired us to try anything and everything. We loved 'yucky celery' or finocio (fresh anise), and it was sweet and licorice-y. I am too young but I have seen pictures of us eating pasta with squid in front of an awed visiting Italian set of relatives :)
In the more recent years we haven't gotten to have as many Nonna dinners because I have moved around. But just recently she had Carmela make a second set of spethini because we missed them the last time she made them. Carmela pulled them out of the freezer just for us. She also saved me the special small lentils that make her lentil soup special. Sometimes I would bring her fresh vegetables after she was done with her garden, her face when I brought her fresh favas was priceless.
I loved going to Fiesta and watching the parade with all the family and celebrating with lasanga, actually for me the best part was during the parade and the Italian band would stop and play for us and I can still hear her singing along.
It didn't matter how far away I moved, I always felt close to her and everytime I would see her it was as if time had not passed, we could just pick up where we left off. I loved surprising her by stopping by and just peaking around the corner and seeing her sitting in her chair and her face just perk right up. I would ask her how she was doing and sometimes it was good, when it wasn't she would say 'half and half'.
I felt like she could just read me before I said anything, happy, sad, nervous, stressed she just knew. I loved hearing her stories about times past, she was a great story teller.
She was there for me through all my broken hearts and tears. She celebrated when Josh and I decided to get married, when I told her we were getting married she said 'He is a good boy' and when we realized they had the same birthday she said 'I always liked that boy'.
Nonna was one of my biggest champions, she always stuck up for me even if I deserved to get in trouble. She supported all my dreams... even when I told her I wanted to be a trash collector when I grew up... don't ask me why I had this fleeting dream. Maybe it was because the trash guy would smile at us when we were at her house....
I cherish all my memories and happy times with my Nonna. I consider the last almost 30 years to be a gift from God. She almost died before I was born. She lived to see us reach many milestones including graduating from high school, college and getting married. I am so glad we got to spend so many years together, she helped raise me, shape me and make me who I am today.
Though I am sad that she has left us, I know that there is a little bit of her in me. I can look back and savor the memories and know that one day I will be able to see her again. When she was in the hospital waiting for surgery she made me kiss her on the lips and she squeezed my hand and said she loved me. I love you too Nonna and I am sorry I didn't get to say that to you one more time but I know you know it. I love you my little nonna and you will always be in my heart. So when I say good bye Friday, its just for now....
I had a very special bond with Nonna from the beginning, she was always 'my nonna'. She was loving, full of wisdom, insightfullness, generous, funny and kind. Being her first grandchildren and triplets we got alot of her attention. She spent alot of time babysitting us and making Sunday dinner. She shared alot of her rich Sicilian Italian heritage with us and I always felt very connected to her and that culture because of her.
My sister spent some time today reminiscing about the things she remembers best about Nonna and special times with her. I wanted to add some of my own. So here are mine.....
As kids we would dress in my aunt's bridesmaid outfits and parade around the table at Nonna's and she would sing 'Here comes the bride' and she would say someday you will 'go married' .
We would spend Sunday afternoons playing at her house while my mom and dad went out and I remember she would give us some money to go across the street to Ed mini-mart to by hostess cupcakes or slush puppies... we felt like we were getting away with something!
We would sleep over at Nonna's and stay upstairs with my aunt... I always seemed to be the bravest and stay the whole night and in the morning I would help roll out meatballs and watch Nonna cook them out on the deck... she made cooking meatballs look so easy.
Speaking of food there was never a lack of really good food whenever I came over, it could be lasanga, spethini, cream puffs or just cantelope and it would be good. No body except maybe Carmela could cook like her. Her pizza, soup, stuffed shrimp and clams, turkey and stuffing, fish, lasanga, meatballs and spethini were my all time favorites. She loved with food, and even if you were not hungry you ate because it made her happy. I love with food too and I know its because of her.....
One of my all time favorites was her little meatball soup that she would make only for me and my sisters, any time we asked. As kids she would cool each brown wooden bowl (they reminded me of the top of an acorn) of soup outside so it wouldn't be too hot. She inspired us to try anything and everything. We loved 'yucky celery' or finocio (fresh anise), and it was sweet and licorice-y. I am too young but I have seen pictures of us eating pasta with squid in front of an awed visiting Italian set of relatives :)
In the more recent years we haven't gotten to have as many Nonna dinners because I have moved around. But just recently she had Carmela make a second set of spethini because we missed them the last time she made them. Carmela pulled them out of the freezer just for us. She also saved me the special small lentils that make her lentil soup special. Sometimes I would bring her fresh vegetables after she was done with her garden, her face when I brought her fresh favas was priceless.
I loved going to Fiesta and watching the parade with all the family and celebrating with lasanga, actually for me the best part was during the parade and the Italian band would stop and play for us and I can still hear her singing along.
It didn't matter how far away I moved, I always felt close to her and everytime I would see her it was as if time had not passed, we could just pick up where we left off. I loved surprising her by stopping by and just peaking around the corner and seeing her sitting in her chair and her face just perk right up. I would ask her how she was doing and sometimes it was good, when it wasn't she would say 'half and half'.
I felt like she could just read me before I said anything, happy, sad, nervous, stressed she just knew. I loved hearing her stories about times past, she was a great story teller.
She was there for me through all my broken hearts and tears. She celebrated when Josh and I decided to get married, when I told her we were getting married she said 'He is a good boy' and when we realized they had the same birthday she said 'I always liked that boy'.
Nonna was one of my biggest champions, she always stuck up for me even if I deserved to get in trouble. She supported all my dreams... even when I told her I wanted to be a trash collector when I grew up... don't ask me why I had this fleeting dream. Maybe it was because the trash guy would smile at us when we were at her house....
I cherish all my memories and happy times with my Nonna. I consider the last almost 30 years to be a gift from God. She almost died before I was born. She lived to see us reach many milestones including graduating from high school, college and getting married. I am so glad we got to spend so many years together, she helped raise me, shape me and make me who I am today.
Though I am sad that she has left us, I know that there is a little bit of her in me. I can look back and savor the memories and know that one day I will be able to see her again. When she was in the hospital waiting for surgery she made me kiss her on the lips and she squeezed my hand and said she loved me. I love you too Nonna and I am sorry I didn't get to say that to you one more time but I know you know it. I love you my little nonna and you will always be in my heart. So when I say good bye Friday, its just for now....
2 comments:
Aww you and Jo wrote the most touching things and really captured the essence of Nonna in all her glory. My favorite story continues to be the soup and cooling it on the deck in the brown wooden bowls (I thought they looked like the top of an acorn too!). Love you, xoxo.
Wow, Jen, you captured Nonna perfectly. Love you.
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