My dear Safta

My Safta passed away at one am this morning and sorrow is consuming. She gave us all one last smile as she gazed at her first granddaughter and her last great grandson. It will forever remain that last wonderful memory of a lifetime of wonderful memories. On Friday night when I heard that she was not doing well I wrote the following and I feel that as these words say, our Safta left us all, surrounded by the trees that she helped grow.

Surrounded by love through the seeds that you planted.

Surrounded by love through the seeds that you protected.

Surrounded by love through the plants that you watered.

Surrounded by love through the love that you shone.

Surrounded by love through the trees that you yielded,

though your love that you planted in each of us.

There remains nothing greater than to touch the lives of others, to love those that you call your own, and to cherish each and everyone for who they are. Your love is a part of me, a part of who I am, and a part of who my children are. Your love continues to grow in me, passed down to the seeds that I am planting and spreading to the depths of my life, my world.

These hands are the hands of the most loving Safta and our dear baby Ryan.

To say that Safta is going to be missed is inadequate to the depth of love that she shone on us all. Safta is not only going to be missed but there will forever remain a missing loved one at every holiday, every milestone, every family get-together. My sorrow is consumed with the thought that there remains no more memories to be made with my Safta, yet the joy in my heart comes from all the appreciation for every memory that we got to make. While at Safta's home I wanted to find a particular picture of her. In my mind I knew exactly which one it was and when I got home I tore through all my photo boxes to find it. When I found it I turned it over to see in Safta's writing;

To my Rachel-

May all your memories be serene happy ones.

I love you lots

Safta

I love you Safta, forever and today and yes all my memories are serene happy ones.