A letter I wrote to my Grandmother the day she passed away.
Dear Savta Yocheved,
I have not yet processed the news...They say you passed away...Peacefully, in your sleep, just a few short hours ago...
What? In MY book, grandmothers are supposed to live forever!!!
True, you lived a long life. True, you have built an incredible army, of over 50 children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. True, I suppose I kind of knew that grandmothers don't REALLY live forever...
Yet I hoped that perhaps YOU would!
You survived the holocust. You lost most of your family, yet you did not let that stop you from building a home, marrying, and having children. Each of your children, my mother included, is a POWERHOUSE of strength, optimism, love, dedication beyond words to their children and grandchildren.
The strength they have came from you... and from Saba Avrum...I know you missed Saba very much, ever since he passed several year ago. This past Monday was Saba Avrum's Yartzeit. When you visited his gravesite, you told your children that you were going to ask that you be able to join him...you got your wish... now you are with him...
But still, shouldn't you be with us, too?! It sure would be nice for a grandmother to live forever!
I can not begin to imagine the Nachas the two you are having now, looking down at all of your descendants, each one a leader in his or her own way.
On a recent trip to visit you in Israel, you shared something with me that will stay with me forever.
You shared with me that when my mother was newly born, there was a woman who lived down the street from you, who also just had a baby. This neighbor of yours fell seriously ill. you offered to nurse her baby, as she was bedridden and unable to tend to him...With such simplicty and humility, you shared with me how every two hours or so, they would bring you the baby. you nursed my mother, you nursed the other child... round the clock until the baby was strong and his mother was well again.
What struck me most was how you shared this incident so humbly. As if this was no big deal. At the time I had a nursing baby myself, and could only imagine what caring for TWO would be like, never mind one not being my own!!!
I was so moved, I felt like standing outside and singing your praise to the world!!
A grandmother like you DESERVES to live forever!
This is who you were; you fed, you nurtured, you gave. You put yourself aside and found strength, day after day, to take care of those around you, and you did it all so generously and with such humility.
Savta, I am going to miss you deeply.
I want to make you proud. I know your soul will shine as we, your descendants, will do mitzvos in your honor. And then your soul WILL live forever...
I hope to follow in your ways. To learn from your strength. To feed guests graciously. And to nurture, care, and love, not only my own children, but other's children, too. As if they were my own...
Whenever I mentioned the comming of Moshiach and the future redemption in your presence, you always responded: "Halevay!" ("If only...!"). Now you are closer to Hashem up in Heaven... please beg him for the Geulah!
And then, before we can even process that you have left us, we will re-unite! Yet this time...it WILL be forever...
Yes, grandmothers CAN live forever! Hashem promised us so.
I love you Savta,
And can not wait to see you soon.
Your granddaughter,
"Ruche'le"