Nana’s funeral was March 29th in Pittsburg. Even though we were coming together for a solemn occasion, I don’t know that I would describe it as sad. Nana lived a long, full life and she is remembered as a woman who gave to her community and loved her family and friends. I remember her as my nana, the lady of our family who always had her best face forward with her impeccable makeup and always done hair. Even in her house clothes, there was an elegance about her that I always admired.
Random things I remember about Nana…
- She made her own lumpia wrappers and I remember watching her once, fascinated by the deftness of her movements and how quick the wrappers were made…
- Her fried chicken was one of the best made in the family. It was always so good and I don’t even remember the last time I had it…
- She and my grandfather loved to dance and I remember their outfits and the pictures. I feel as though that was a major part of their retired life.
- I remember her surprise when one of my Filipino friends greeted her with the “mano,” which I had never seen before and I felt as though Nana hadn’t seen it in awhile either. (Our family does the kiss on the cheek as our greetings and I was never taught the “mano.”)
The day of Nana’s funeral was cold and intermittently rainy with a bit wind just for good measure. We started at the funeral home for the viewing. It was a good time to catch up with the family, many of whom I hadn’t seen since my uncle’s funeral, before COVID hit. Nana’s casket was open so we got to look upon her face one more time. I think it’s been a long time since I’ve seen an open casket and I had no qualms touching her or admiring the fine job done on her face. She looked very well done up. She felt like a statue of sorts though, touching her hand. She looked peaceful and I’m glad that I was able to see her.
A few people spoke, including my sister, who spoke well and off the cuff. I was rather proud of her and glad that she shared some words about our grandmother. My sister was also one of the four pallbearers representing our family (the other four were related in some way to Nana).
The mass at church was somber, of course, as was the cemetery. The clouds had gathered close and rain fell while we were outside. There was a bite to the slight breeze. After the cemetery, we headed to the Fil-Am Center.
The somberness lifted a touch by the time of the reception. We gathered at the Fil-Am, which has apparently been there a long time and I can attest to that. My grandparents had their 40th wedding anniversary there. My uncle and aunt had a big anniversary party there too. It was strange to walk in and know that I had been there before and thinking it seemed smaller but overall unfamiliar.
It was good to spend time with everyone. We ate, we remembered, we caught up. We took pictures and simply enjoyed being together. I loved seeing my family. I thought I would cry seeing everyone again after so long but I felt joy. It was so good to be with them, even if the occasion was solemn.
I don’t know why it’s taken me this long to finish my thoughts on that day in March. I started writing this post in April, I think, and here we are in May. This past week has been cold and dreary but I didn’t mind it at all. And maybe I came back to finish this because the rainy days reminded me of the day that brought us all together for awhile…
