Memorial for Grandpa

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Last weekend we finally had the memorial for Grand-dad. It was definitely time, if not past time. I'll write more about my grandpa and his life, but I'm waiting until I've got some photos to post as well. My cousin H (oops, a different H than the one I stayed with in Seattle) and I are planning a marathon photo-scanning session, after which I'll have more material.

The memorial was low-key. It wasn't a whole funeral or service, just light buffet lunch, with people sharing stories and memories. A priest was there to say a quick prayer. There were some really fun anecdotes from friends of the family, and a nice display that H made of photos and wood carvings that Grandpa had done.

Afterward, I went back into the City with H, her parents and her boyfriend. We went through old photos (there are so many, it's crazy), and laughed about the haircuts that our grandmother gave our dads when they were kids. Hint: if you have 2 little kinky-haired, mixed-race brown boys with pointy heads, don't give them cuts with shaved sides and lots of hair on top.....it's decidedly NOT CUTE!

The race topic is one that I need to sort through more thoroughly. Race relations in the UK are complicated and different from what they are in the US. I'm not sure how my family fits into the whole thing....