waltzoid | You don't know what you've got 'till someone else is gone

My grandmother (on my dad's side) died on September 13, a few days short of her 105th birthday.

We held an open-air burial service for her yesterday. I don't think it could have turned out more perfectly.

Most of my extended family (my aunt, my cousins, and some of Nana's other friends, including one of the former mayors of Philadelphia) showed up, including family members I haven't seen or spoken to in what feels like over a decade. Those are the perils of growing up...and out of the house. You move on, you start living your own life, and suddenly years later, you find out they've got new jobs and kids of their own.

I used to get nervous talking on the phone to other people...well, initiating phone calls, anyway. I think if I weren't, I'd reach out to people other than my brother and sister more regularly. Still, it was good seeing everyone again, even for just an hour. I know Nana would be proud to know that so many people showed up for her send-off.