I’m thankful for family, especially my grandmother who passed away today. She was 98. Sadly, I wasn’t very close to her since I never lived nearby. But sometimes when I was visiting my mom and sisters, we would stop over to see her. We would all talk and she would mostly just listen and smile. She had the sweetest way of saying “oh, honey” in her shaky little voice. And her cheeks were soft and powdery.

Years ago, after my dad’s funeral, my grandmother was sitting at the end of the table watching everyone and nibbling on her food. Emma leaned over to me and said, “grandma looks like a cute little bird.” And that’s how I’ve always thought of her. A sweet little bird watching over her family. We will miss her.