Eulogy for my Grandmother

(KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa)

Thank you all for coming. This turnout is testament to the magnificent woman my grandmother was. My name is XXXXX and I am the youngest grandchild of XXXXX.

It was James O Barr who said:
“If the people we love are stolen from us, the way to have them live on is to never stop loving them.”

We have been incredibly fortunate having had our grandparents with us growing up. Many people haven't had that blessing past their early childhood.

My grandmother devoted her life to helping whoever needed it. She would always try her best to help even with the little that she had. She was often the person that people would look to for advice. She was the elder of the family and always knew what to do. She was an excellent cook, a great housewife, a devoted wife, mother, aunt, sister, and above all, the best grandmother ever. She managed to juggle all those roles with the greatest of ease.

Growing up we always knew how lucky we were having our grandparents around. They played a pivotal role in our upbringing.

When growing up, my grandmother taught us, amongst many other things, how to pray and be thankful for everything we have. She taught us to respect others regardless of who they were. She taught us generosity, compassion and forgiveness. She gave us strength and confidence. She left us lessons in perseverance and patience. Most of you would know what a fussy and head strong man my grandfather was; she was such a strong person and tended to him right till the end. At the same time, she was gentle and nurturing in the way that she brought us up from the time we were babies. To this day we carry through her teachings in our everyday life.

When we would come home from school, she would be waiting for us, and she would be so excited to see us and us to see her. Food was already prepared and waiting with love.

Whenever we would get sick, she would make home remedies for us and somehow those always seemed to work. She would feed me right up until the day I moved away from home and to this day I still don't know how to eat by myself and without making a complete mess.

She may have forgotten your name or who you were, but she never forgot how to put you in your place. She was incredibly witty right till the end. She always knew what to do and how to do it. People would always seek her wisdom on everything.

You can never get as much time with the ones you love as you may think. In a split-second things could change. My advice to all of you is to cherish the moments you have and make the most of it however you can.

A special thank you to everyone who came through today. I know that for most, there was quite a bit of travel involved. Thank you to the service providers for making this day possible.

I would like to leave you with the following quote by Harriet Schiff:
"The reality is that we don’t forget, move on, and have closure. But rather we honor, we remember, and incorporate our deceased into our lives in a new way. In fact, keeping memories of your loved one alive in your mind and heart is an important part of your healing journey.”