Not an Optimal Family Reunion...

This past weekend, my family buried my grandmother. It is so remarkable how many people loved my grandmother and her family and was most obviously showcased by the unbelievable amount of flowers that surrounded her gravesite.

The funeral was a Buddhist one, and while I understood the rudiments, if you asked me, I would not be able to explain to you everything that went on. My aunt could not read her whole speech, and my cousin's reading, echoing so close my own sadness, moved me to tears. But there was something beautiful about the monks' chanting and something especially moving and sad when my father and his siblings poured tea and offered rice -- offering my grandmother her first meal in heaven.

It was good to be with my family during this time. And, as one of my cousins noted, it was very remarkable that we were only missing four grandchildren -- my own two siblings and two of my cousins from Germany. We caught up at a family dinner following the funeral.

Almost all of my generation (missing 4), including 2 in-laws & 1 in-law-to-be

Entire family, plus great-aunt & cousin once-removed, missing 4 of my cousins and the photographer (my aunt's husband)

In Loving Memory

This past week, my grandmother passed away. I've been struggling to figure out what I can say about this wonderful woman that can capture who she was and what she means to me. I don't know if I have the right words yet to describe her, my love for her, or my loss. She was one of the most important people in my life. I love her very much, and I miss her very much.