Totally Forgot About This Photo

Back in 2011, my Mom took her mother on vacation. This was likely the last trip outside the country they took together. A cruise with another friend and their mom. Sadly, Meme didn't leave the boat except maybe once. Mom had to go exploring on their own. This picture is from one of the many places to eat on the ship.

Your Weekly Dose of God

Over three years ago, my grandmother gave me this cross, which was later blessed by Father Connolly. The original chain was broken and lost during a high school fight with a thug. The new chain broke not long after. My girlfriend and I are planning to fix the chain because, for a variety of reasons both fun and serious, she wants to start wearing it.

My Great Aunt

My great aunt Anita passed away this morning from COVID-19. I just found out about her diagnosis yesterday, her own daughter unable to visit because of her very immunocompromised husband. Aunt Anita was one month short of her one-hundredth birthday and until this year was a constant fixture at family holiday gatherings, inseparable from my grandmother until she passed away five years ago, 

My Grandfather in Uniform With My Grandmother

The Jump! Mobile

My late grandmother loved her mighty white Lincoln. It was fitting that it led the way to her burial plot yesterday. She had it for years with my grandfather and drove it for as long as she could after he passed away until macular degeneration took her from behind the wheel. I've seen and have ridden in this car for years. It wasn't until yesterday that I looked at the license plate.

Was it my grandmother or my grandfather who were Van Halen fans? I'll never know.

The fate of the car is up in the air. It could be sold off. It could be taken by one of the four daughters. All I want now is to drive it next summer to the nearest outside fish n' chip place while the old radio blares "Panama."

RIP, Meme

Yesterday, I drove my grandmother's giant Lincoln and led the way (behind the hearse) to the same cemetery where my father and grandfather are buried. It was my Aunt Deb's idea at the last minute, and it made quite the impact on the event to see Meme's car in the lead. I took photos with my sister in mind. She was admitted to the hospital on Sunday morning. Though she was moved out of ICU on Monday, she couldn't make the funeral.

Today

The funeral for my grandmother is about three hours from now. My aunt asked me if I would have a hard time reciting the same reading I did from my grandfather's funeral less than eight years ago.

This struck me as so sad, all I could do was say sure as long as there weren't any new verbs and vowels added to it.

The dumb joke is always my go to, even when death is involved.

Pushing Through

I'm getting through the day, getting my clothes ready for the funeral and calling my aunt to see how I can help writing the obituary for my late grandmother, seen here with Aunt Anita, seen here in this photo I took from Thanksgiving 2011. Aunt Anita is still alive and two years older than Meme was (94), and she must be even more devastated than my sister is over this.

Louise Dupre, 1923-2015

My grandmother, seen here with all four of her daughters on her ninetieth birthday, passed away today.

So ends a lifetime of a complicated family relationship between her and I. It is not for me to expound on here, not now, maybe not for a while, if ever. Suffice to say she is gone, less than a decade after her husband died from pneumonia brought about in part due to his chemo treatments. 

I have a lot on my mind tonight.

My Grandmother Turned 92 Last Week

When the family celebrated her ninetieth birthday, I took this shot by accident while she was talking to people and reacting to how many people were there. I post it here awaiting some punk band to copy it and use it for an album cover. I'm a dreamer.