I know that at the time, I was a little underwhelmed by the random book quote I found, and wrote about in my last post.  But apparently it resonated with me more than I thought.  I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since that fine [frigid] Michigan Saturday, nearly two weeks ago!

My grandmother passed away in January.  [Don’t worry, this post won’t become instantly morbid.]  That particular Saturday – when I spent the afternoon working away with my favorite cousin, Jackie, in a coffee shop – happened to be the very next day post-funeral.  The memorial service for my 92 year old Grandmother was a bit of a bummer because of course, there is always sadness over losing a loved one.  But despite the sadness, the service was beautiful, with hugs all around.  And that whole day – actually, the entire weekend – was really FUN and enjoyable!  I spent time in my beloved home state during the winter, which I haven’t done in 5-and-a-half years [and probably won’t do again anytime soon now that I’ve had a shocking reminder of how cold it gets in The Mitten];  spent time with my cousins, who I’ve always loved dearly;  and had a relaxing weekend being away from the hustle of usual life.

ugh. hair in my face…

The thing is, the excerpt from the book about Whitman was very fitting for that particular weekend.  My Grandmother’s funeral day was a day full of love, friendship, sympathy… and all the wonderful things mentioned in the mini-paragraph I happened upon.  And like I mentioned, despite the inherent sadness of the day, we all had a really great time!  I felt healed by my family’s presence.  I felt comforted knowing we all loved Grandma, and will all miss her for so many of the same reasons, but also for so many different ones.  There was more love in that one tiny day than some people experience in their whole life.

The tears of my Grandmother’s four daughters during the weeks leading up to her funeral service, and during the beautiful ceremony we shared together celebrating her life, beg the question, “what medicine is there to heal a broken heart?”  There isn’t any, as many of us know.  But it IS true what Whitman said, there is something about love and friendship that does more good than medicine.  And I saw that plainly with my Grandmother’s passing… in the love of my family, the love of my friends, the sympathy cards I received in the mail, the hugs from my co-workers…  It is all truly something to be thankful for.