My grandmother died yesterday. She had many visitors the day before, including a goodbye visit from my mom and me via iPad. Then, in the peace of early morning with my super-hero grandfather by her side, she passed. Yupadee lived a long, rich life: 60 plus years of marriage, 5 children, 5 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.
These Easter eggs are in her honor.My grandmother’s English wasn’t great (OK, it was terrible) and my Thai isn’t great (OK, it’s terrible) so we didn’t have long meaningful conversations about life. When I wanted her to teach me how to sew she’d shake her head and say, “Go be doctor.” When my weight pleased her she’d say, “Good shape” and if not, “Shape no good.” Still, what she liked to communicate to me over and over and over was how much I was loved. “You mother love you. You father love you. I love you.” Rinse, lather, repeat. She also liked to tell you how you felt, “You love you mother. You love you auntie. You love you cousin.” Sometimes it was more of a command, sometimes it was in the form of a question—like she was just checking to make sure I did. It was annoying. I was annoyed by the repetition, and I was annoyed that these mantras were the extent of our relationship. I was annoyed that we didn’t have anything in common. Continue Reading…
