Pat Holahan Day!

So yesterday my parents through me a graduation party and it was a lot of fun. There were a lot of people there and it was nice to see everyone. People from Geneseo came, neighbors from when I was a little baby came and it was a great time. I guess the thing that I was struck by was the ease with which people socialize. There were so many people that I couldn’t really talk to everyone at every second of the party and I was worried that people wouldn’t have a good time because everyone didn’t know each other, but it was actually really great to see my friends from different parts of my life come together and enjoy one another. What a blessing.

Today is the 5th anniversary of my grandmother’s passing. She was a wonderful woman. We called her Nana and I still can’t believe she has been gone for 5 years. I remember the day that she passed away. It was the end of my sophomore year of high school and I had my last final. As I was getting ready to leave the house I saw my mom pull in the driveway. I knew that since she was supposed to be at work there was something wrong. I can still hear her say “Honey, Nana died last night”. My brother, mom and I immediately got in the car and drove to her house where the rest of my family was holding hands encircling her bed and praying together. She wasn’t in her bed anymore, the ambulance had already come, but we still felt her presence. I had to go take my final and my mom came in with me because I couldn’t stop crying. I cried through the whole final and Nana must have been with me because I got an A.

It’s weird to think about because a couple of days before she passed she was sitting in our front yard celebrating my brother’s graduation. I was inside when she left and I never got to say goodbye to her that day, but I know that I’ll be saying Hello again when I see her in heaven. Today my family got together for mass and breakfast and we’re having dinner together tonight in honor of Nana. She would be so proud that we all made it to church on time and that we all still get together all the time. She was always proud of her 6 kids and 14 grandchildren and I know she’s looking down today with a smile on her face because it’s her example of love that has kept us close even after she was taken from us. Death is a heavy thing and it’s never easy, but today we celebrate Nana’s life and what she meant to us...I love you, Nana. She taught us so much and I will always remember her ability to throw a party and today we’re throwing one for her.