Nana’s Eyes

Nana and me

There was something about Nana – an elegance beyond description. She was poised and classy, but there was more. Because Nana was always around me, it took me while to really see her and discover what was so special. that indefinable something that made It clear she was not only elegant, but mischievous, brave, curious…magical. One day I noticed, it was her eyes.

Nana’s eyes sparkled with dreams, and I always got the feeling that through them, she was seeing the world as even better than it was. If she loved what she saw, she collected it to revisit and reward it in her imagination with brighter colors and softer textures. If she wasn’t fond of something, i believe she improved it. Sometimes, she seemed to travel far away. If you saw her then, you would notice how starry her eyes had become and see her small contented smile. She transported herself into true stories of the past or rich fictions where she played the heroine, a brave huntress or the benevolent benefactor of a vast fortune.

These were not the drifting, forgetful spells of a person grown old. You can see the magic of her eyes in any picture of her at any age. Maybe it did get a littler harder in later years to live the stories just the way she wanted. And maybe that’s why she longed to be in her own house. There, Nana could reconnect with the visions of her heroic tales. She could hear the echoes of loved ones’ laughter and the rustle of fancy dresses, smell the cologne of her handsome beaus, dance, sing, play create travel, fly.

Walking through her house, you can almost see the gossamers of Nana’s dreams. And looking at her family, you can see her legacy in the eyes of her children and their children and so on. She spent her life translating her visions into lessons of dignity, elegance, strength, nobility, magic and love. And we are all better because of that – because she loved us.

Happy Birthday Nana – I miss you.