My grandmother, after taking a severe fall and a couple surgeries that were difficult on her respiratory system, was allowed to pass away with dignity on Friday September 28th, 2012 in Seattle, WA. By her side were a majority of my family members. Here's a tribute that I wrote in her honor.
My maternal grandmother lived a life that spanned nine decades and two continents. To say that we, her family, are sad at her passing is simply human nature. However, what we tend to forget is that this woman, brought incredibly joy and humor to all of our lives.
For the first 20 years of my life, my grandmother resided in Taiwan before she moved to the States in 1990 and I would see her once or twice a year. But during those visits she was everything you would want a grandmother to be. She spoiled my sister and I by always giving us what we wanted and let us take care of her as well, as she would make giving HER a massage something that became something we GOT to do. I never was wise enough to ask about her life, however, and by the time I wanted to, her hearing had diminished to the point where communication with her was nearly impossible, often borderline comical. Trying to talk with her was a challenge and it became a regular laugh between my sister and when we compared notes on our attempts at our conversations with her. We both suspect that there was always a bit of selective hearing on hand as well. Grandma was a crafty one.
But for me, the memory of her that will stay with me forever is her devotion to our beloved Seattle Mariners. For a woman who never mastered the English language, baseball was her connection to American culture. When the Mariners were great in the late 90's and early 2000's, she had fantastic (and often politically incorrect) nicknames for the players. And during these lean years, she always knew when the Mariners played and their opponents. Family events sometimes revolved around when a game was on television. One of my fervent wishes was for the Mariners to again be a winning team again not just for Seattle pride, but to make my grandmother happy. I will miss how my grandmother's first question to me is what I want to eat. I will miss her simply sitting there gazing at me as I sat there in her house. I will miss that look on her face when she understood what I had just yelled into her ear. But most of all, I will miss my grandmother's, a 90 year old Chinese woman, passion for baseball, a American game.
My maternal grandmother lived a life that spanned nine decades and two continents. To say that we, her family, are sad at her passing is simply human nature. However, what we tend to forget is that this woman, brought incredibly joy and humor to all of our lives.
For the first 20 years of my life, my grandmother resided in Taiwan before she moved to the States in 1990 and I would see her once or twice a year. But during those visits she was everything you would want a grandmother to be. She spoiled my sister and I by always giving us what we wanted and let us take care of her as well, as she would make giving HER a massage something that became something we GOT to do. I never was wise enough to ask about her life, however, and by the time I wanted to, her hearing had diminished to the point where communication with her was nearly impossible, often borderline comical. Trying to talk with her was a challenge and it became a regular laugh between my sister and when we compared notes on our attempts at our conversations with her. We both suspect that there was always a bit of selective hearing on hand as well. Grandma was a crafty one.
But for me, the memory of her that will stay with me forever is her devotion to our beloved Seattle Mariners. For a woman who never mastered the English language, baseball was her connection to American culture. When the Mariners were great in the late 90's and early 2000's, she had fantastic (and often politically incorrect) nicknames for the players. And during these lean years, she always knew when the Mariners played and their opponents. Family events sometimes revolved around when a game was on television. One of my fervent wishes was for the Mariners to again be a winning team again not just for Seattle pride, but to make my grandmother happy. I will miss how my grandmother's first question to me is what I want to eat. I will miss her simply sitting there gazing at me as I sat there in her house. I will miss that look on her face when she understood what I had just yelled into her ear. But most of all, I will miss my grandmother's, a 90 year old Chinese woman, passion for baseball, a American game.
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