When working at the Jewish Community Center, I learned the most beautiful condolence for a lost loved one, “may their memory be a blessing.” Some days I can’t even explain how much the memories of those we’ve lost are a blessing to me.
Like every morning, this morning, I stopped and looked at the framed picture of my Grandparents, Frank and Geraldine Riess. Two people who, for me, were created of all things good in the universe, They remained right when everything else in the world was wrong. They were beauty, strength, laughter, and so much more. Most of all – they were my champions…they were all of our champions, the whole family.
This afternoon, I read a chapter from one of my Grandfather’s books and am currently sharing a room with a “welcome friends” sign created by Grandpa and painted by Grandma. I can easily imagine Grandma sitting across from me in the chair, crocheting the six-foot-long white scarf she made me while I chattered away in her living room one winter day. When I bake a pie, she is with me. When I study the wars, he is with me. I imagine them in the audience on opening nights like they were for me so many times. When my family is together, they are reflected in our faces, our jokes, our actions, and especially our laughter. They taught us how to be together.
This is what it means for their memories to be a blessing. I carry them with me; they are still my champions.