Breakfast (Ann)

I found myself reading to my daughter from "The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh" before bedtime the night my grandmother passed away. A dear friend of mine had gifted my daughter with this beautiful book as a Christmas present and I was enjoying re-discovering these stories and my daughter's joy at hearing them for the first time. As I finished one of the chapters, I read the quote pictured to the left and it struck my heart as if my grandmother were there speaking to me.

I had been going through a very difficult situation and I was finding myself just going day by day (and sometimes minute by minute). The situation could get overwhelming at times and each day was filled with a certain amount of dread. My grandmother faced a great deal of difficulty in her life but she never once complained. She offered her sufferings to God and always held in her heart and mind that no matter how she was suffering, there was always someone who was facing even greater pain and suffering and she found any way that she could to reach out to those who were in that position. Yes, each day could be filled with dread but what if I approached it the way that Pooh does? What if I embraced each day as filled with countless opportunities for holy moments--moments to give and receive grace? What if I focused on the excitement of each day rather than the possible hurt? I looked over at my sweet daughter asleep in her crib and thanked God and my grandmother for this beautiful holy moment and special message.

The next morning, I woke up and made homemade cookies with my daughter using my grandmother's recipe and gave my mom a warm one right out of the oven to have with her coffee. I watched the beautiful sunrise and admired the salmon pink color of the sky that my grandmother had told me was her favorite color in the world when I was coloring with her once as a child. I sang and danced around the kitchen with my daughter. (My grandmother loved to sing and had a beautiful voice. She cantored at church and would give me the old "Breaking Bread" hymnals after the liturgical year was over. I would then use those to pretend that I was cantoring at church while playing.) I wore a sweatshirt in the mauve color that she used to paint her nails which has the word "Blessed" written on it (if one word could sum up her mindset, that would be it). My daughter, my mom, and I laughed and laughed over silly little things until tears rolled down our faces. It was beautiful. It was holy. It was the most exciting day I have ever had embracing moments to create holiness. Thank you, Noni, for your message and legacy reminding me to embrace the beauty and opportunity of each day. May you be welcomed into the waiting arms of Jesus with a hearty, "Well done, good and faithful servant." You deserve that and infinitely more.