When I was little, my
grandmother, Nene, and I used to watch The
Sound of Music together, regularly. She always curled my hair in rollers,
and I routinely modeled my finest smock stitched dress so I felt like one of
the Von Trapp children.
You can imagine the
sing-a-longs. Chanting at the top of our lungs, "Doe a deer, a female
deer, Ray, a drop of golden sun,” and "So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen,
goodnight," was enough to cause alarm to the neighbors, scare the birds
from the tree outside the front door, and send the dog into hiding, who had
also dressed the part.
Over the holidays, I often
tune into the season’s television specials. A few days before Christmas, The Sound of Music aired, and as if no
time had passed, I found myself humming the chorus of, “My Favorite Things,”
When the
dog bites,
When the bee stings,
When I’m
feeling sad,
I simply
remember my favorite things
And then I don’t feel so bad.
Today, I visited Evergreen
Burial Park, leaving behind a daffodil, a pack of Juicy Fruit gum, a York peppermint patty,
a basketball, an Elvis tape, a Virginia Tech pom-pom and a Nascar Hotwheel, along
with a few family photos. These represent many of Nene's favorite things, and today
is the two-year anniversary of her funeral, after she passed away forgoing treatment
for lung cancer.
The ones we love deserve all
the time in the world & more to spend with their favorite things, as do you
and I, and Nene was one of mine. Today, as well as everyday, I am remembering
her. And today, as well as everyday, I
am continuing her fight against cancer.
With RelayLove,
