Eulogy for a remembered grandmother
Lola was one of the most jovial people you would ever meet. Her ethereal smile was infectious. You couldnt help but smile right along with her. She enjoyed her life so much and loved her family fiercely. When I close my eyes and think about Lola I see her happily in the kitchen and watch her express love in her cooking. She had so much passion. Not just for the food but more for whom the food was for. When you taste her food you feel her love. You saw her love for life in the simplest things, like in a game of mahjong. Lola was not just a wife, a mother, a grandmother, and a friend but a professional mahjong player. It was her metaphor for life mixing serious with joy, an excuse to bond with her friends, and as one of my best memories of her, using mahjong as a way to have fun with her grandkids. Her laugh was so carefree and unforgettable as she was amused watching our lackluster attempts to beat her, and as a grandmother would she would let us win once in a while.
But now that she is gone Filipino food will never taste the same, mahjong tiles clicking will never sound the same. It is sad but every time I eat relleno or play a game of mahjong I know Lola is alive and I will always feel her pride and unconditional love. She will always be alive if you keep her in all the little things in life that remind you of her. So for every time you mourn her passing, smile like Lola did and celebrate her life.
-Helen San Mateo, April 6, 2004
But now that she is gone Filipino food will never taste the same, mahjong tiles clicking will never sound the same. It is sad but every time I eat relleno or play a game of mahjong I know Lola is alive and I will always feel her pride and unconditional love. She will always be alive if you keep her in all the little things in life that remind you of her. So for every time you mourn her passing, smile like Lola did and celebrate her life.
-Helen San Mateo, April 6, 2004