Today was my Nanaās birthday and itās the first time we spent it visiting him at the Garden of Peace, instead of at the house I remember growing up in, and counting the fish tiles, and twirling around in his giant armchair. Itās funny how when people pass away, even their flaws are endearing, and deeply missed. As we all stood at his graveside, eating a banana in his name as he used to do every morning, all I could think about is how heād complain about all the fuss we were making over him. As I popped a Wethers Original on his headstone, how heād tell us off for eating too many sweets. The one thing Iād always think of fondly, without doubt, is how cute his little smile was. The older my nana got, the more kind he seemed to be. It must be hard to feel increasingly dependent on others, and seeing this strong independent man get less strong, less independent, was a scary and humbling experience. Away from his age, I think a large part of seeing my nana as increasingly kind, is because I grew up too, as did my curiosity. I asked him questions and he told me about his life and his journey and his troubles and his wins. Iām glad I had the time to talk to him when I could, but as the age old saying goes, I do wish weād had longer. I hope wherever he is now, he had a good time celebrating his birthday. I hope he knows how much heās missed. And for all the times I complained about him, or huffed for having to take the long car ride to visit, or rolled my eyes every time he shouted, I hope he knows how thankful I am for how he cared for me, and the large role he played in bringing peace between me and my family. My nana had a great heart, and for all his flaws, his heart and his smile are two things Iāll never forget. https://www.instagram.com/p/CDPyFQWjoOC/?igshid=1przkoa9f2c23
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