On Friday, the country came together to remember the tragic events of 9/11, from New York City to DC to Somerset County. Last week, the NFL kicked off its 2026 season with a Super Bowl rematch between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks.
This morning, as I came home from work, I remembered my Gram and the life she lived. She passed away 20 years ago this morning. We all know where we were when the towers fell on September 11. I was getting ready to go to work at Kings (my first “real” job after college) on the morning that Gram died.
She got sick that Spring and after stays at Forbes and Woodhaven, Gram came to live with us for the Summer. With me not working at the time, I spent my Summer of 2006 taking care of her. I was striking out on interviews before Kings took me on late in the summer.
Gram made some progress during the Summer and a few times she was able to go back home. One weekend, she stayed at her house. That gave us some hope, though it turned out to be false.
That summer was a difficult one as we lost Great Grandma (Gavatorta), Aunt Nan, and Gram within a span of just over a month. It was for me too, as I was trying to adjust to life after college. I appreciate Giant Eagle now and like the path that my life has taken. But I had to get through the rain to reach my destination. In 2006, I turned down some jobs and wasn’t hired at others. When Kings brought me on board, I wanted to be back at school. A do-over is what I was looking for as I felt I didn’t do enough at Slippery Rock. Those good old days stayed with me long into my WIS era. Thankfully, I’ve turned a corner and humbled myself since COVID.
Looking back at some of those last days with Gram, they were time well spent. That Tuesday night before she passed, we watched Deal or No Deal as a family. I went to bed that night hopeful for the next day but we know that life is funny like that.
It also throws a punch that sends you in the direction that you don’t want to go.
In the immediate post-college era, I’d use my off days to take the bus into Downtown Pittsburgh. The summer that Gram stayed with us, PNC Park hosted the MLB All-Star game and I went to FanFest. It was a once in a lifetime event and Pittsburgh hasn’t hosted an All-Star game since.
Another time was on that Monday when the country remembered the attacks five years earlier. I had the day off at Kings so I spent the day downtown. They had a Barnes and Noble in the city so I checked it out. I might have walked over to Station Square that day. Ah, the days before I started driving (a few weeks later I got behind the wheel for the first time).
Gram missed, by less than a month, seeing me drive. I think she’d have been proud.
A few other events that Gram missed in my life included me getting involved in Toastmasters. She’d have been proud of me for putting in the work to achieve my Distinguished Toastmaster award. Don’t forget that period in my life when I posted the weather on Facebook. How about me starting my own blog?
I know she’d be proud of the US electing its first African American president in 2008. I shudder to think how she’d feel about this administration we have now.
I’ve been practicing German 🇩🇪 on the Duolingo app, and it would have been cool to practice some German conversations with her.
“Ich lerne Deutsch zu sprechen.”
“Hallo, Oma. Ich habe einen Apfelkuchen für uns zum Essen gemacht.”
“Ich würde gerne lernen, wie man Lebkuchen macht.”
As for this blog, she’d have been proud to know that I stayed with it as I approach the big milestone!
