Stefanie Papamitrou
My grandmother gave us a sense of who we are and where we came from. A life filled with history, tradition, and pride. I am incredibly lucky to have known her for 36 years. She was our matriarch and leader. She was always right even when I thought she wasn’t. She never feared the truth in life or death. I am confident that she walked through the pearly gates of heaven and found my grandfather and fussed at him for leaving her too soon.
What made my grandmother so special and wonderful was her everlasting faith and elegance. The picture of perfection and grace… with a little sass (clearly where we all get it from). I recall the days I would spend nights in her house, and she would be vacuuming and blessing the house very very early in the morning; waking us all up because life is short and she loved to seize the day!
Of course my memories of her would not be complete if I didn’t pay homage to her incredible cooking. Everything she made was the best – no arguments there! To the point that if I had Greek food anywhere else it just didn’t taste as good. I remember spending countless hours at YiaYia and Pop’s house as a kid. The laundry would be hanging out in the yard to dry. YiaYia would be in the kitchen cooking and pops would be in the garden grabbing a few tomatoes for the salad. The routine was all too familiar, but it always provided me with comfort.
It is said that the body is a mere vessel that carries the spirit and gives it a place to experience physical life. When the spirit has learned and experienced everything intended, then it is time to move on to another world. When the body has expired, the spirit that housed it is still alive. The body cannot survive without a soul, but the soul does not need a body for the soul never dies. The thought of the unknown is scary, but I have faith that she lives on in all of us.
Death is always hardest on the living. It’s tough to say goodbye; sometimes impossible. You never really stop feeling the loss. It’s what makes life so bittersweet.
Katerina cared more than most, loved more than most, and was made to suffer more than most because of it. But no matter how much she was knocked down or made to endure things no one should, she just kept fighting back; caring more and loving more regardless of the world around her. Her love was one without conditions. It didn’t take much to make her happy – a phone call, a visit, or a kiss. We were the most important people in the world to her because family was everything. And to think that she loved us so much without condition, should make us be able to love others and carry on in the manner she did…with no boundaries.
Thank you!
Stefanie
