In Memory of Grandmother

My relationship with grandma has always been kind of strange because unlike the other grandchildren, I do not know any Chinese at all. I could never communicate with her like the rest of the family could; she always seemed to interpret what I said to have something to do with food. I remember one day I was watering the plants on the front yard and I scraped my foot. I told her about it so she went into the kitchen and got me a guava.
While we could not get very far in the way of verbal communication, the underlying message was always clear: that she loved me. In expressing this, I remember that she tried something more animated. She would perform Tai Chi and I would try to copy her. It was a slow exercise but it let us spend more time together. When I did something strange or wrong she would laugh and show me how to do the form again. In that way, by performing this exercise, we could do something meaningful with each other without talking.
Now that she is gone, I look back and realize just how much God has given her. She had six devoted and thriving children, fourteen brilliant grandchildren, and a full and successful life in the service of the Lord, and a graceful passing after a vigorous and almost complete family reunion. Of all the old ladies that I can think of, she was the most blessed and most loving. Even though it was not what I had in mind, in giving me that guava she showed me her intentions in that she wanted her children to be fruitful and not to worry about the small things.

Oliver, beloved grandson