A Tribute to Grandma

I woke up around 4 a.m., frazzled and feeling the darkness like a strange web. I dreamed of her— her lips were glossy and red as always and I thought how they looked like the candy apples a coworker just made for Halloween. For a few moments, I thought she was still with us. I’d forgotten that I am 41 and Grandma has been dead for nearly two decades. Two decades. Has it been that long?

I cried a little. But then I decided to be happy because today, The Sunlight Press is publishing an essay I wrote for Grandma, a shorter version than the one that will appear in my memoir Petals of Rain. And while I can’t physically sit with her and read it, sharing this with the world feels like the next best thing.

The essay: