Memories of my Grandmother.

Her name was Lena Finnerty and she passed away April 14th 2020. It was during the current COVID-19 crisis, but her passing was not related to this disease. It was hard letting her go because we couldn’t be at her bedside because she was in a long-term care facility. However, I did get to see her in her care home before she got really sick, (before COVID-19) and I was able to wheel her around on her wheelchair. Grandma lived most of her adult life single, her husband passed away when I was just a kid, and I didn’t really know my grandfather. Grandma Lena was a real estate agent when I was growing up in London, and from what I was told and witnessed, she was London Ontario’s best at times.

I enjoyed going to her house when I was growing up. Some of my favourite things to do at grandma’s house was to play the organ. I imagined myself a young Mozart, without any piano lessons, I would make up chords and sounds and fill her living room with my made up music. I liked watching TV at grandma’s house because almost all the stations were different from Toronto TV. I also liked exploring in her basement. There was a lot of stuff to seek out and find, like the newest fitness fad machine and stuff like that. Grandma was very contemporary in her own way. I loved her kitchen or should I say “the food” in her kitchen, which was always open. As a kid I loved that, I couldn’t wait to see what cereal grandma had! (Cap’n Crunch! Ya!)

While the adults played canasta, I watched TV on her comfy sofa. I remember one of the things we used to do was Bowling. My grandma could bowl. My grandma also attended church. We were Catholic and my grandmother had a real Catholic faith. Grandma loved her work, and she made good cabbage rolls, she gave me great gifts for Christmas and always remembered my birthday. She sent me holiday and birthday cards throughout my whole life. I think she was very organized. Thank you grandma. (Picture of grandma Lena and me, I was about first year Canadian college age.)

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