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Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Remembering Grandma Emilio


Johanna Emilio
(February 13,1918 - March 23, 2008)

This is long overdue, but I have to take a moment to commemorate the life of Grandma Emilio -- the true matriarch of our family. She passed away on Easter Sunday due to her battle with Leukemia, after living a very full 90 years of life. Grandma was truly a remarkable soul and anyone who had the opportunity to meet her would wholeheartedly agree. She had the most warm, welcoming and open heart of anyone that I knew (and probably anyone I will ever meet in this lifetime). She will be missed dearly and I will always carry her memory close to my heart.

Sitting on my desk right next to my computer, there is a small calendar which contains prayers and devotionals for each day of the year. As I glance at this calendar through tired eyes, I can see that the date still reads March 23rd. For some reason, I just have not been able to turn that page. Interestingly, the prayer for that day reads as follows: "You never know when you will step into the moment for which God has been preparing you. It is not just one moment, but many successive ones. It doesn't matter whether you are nineteen or ninety, God is preparing for you daily for something great." I believe that says it all. We'll love you always, Grandma, and just as you would have wanted -it's time for us to turn that page.

- Grandma pictured with Joseph at 4 months old. When she met her first great-grandchild, you could see how happy and proud it made her. Throughout our visit, she kept repeating emphatically "He's gorgeous!" in her Long Island accent -- well, you can't disagree with that!!