Remembering Ms. Sophie

Dear Grandma,
It was only the last little while that I felt like I could call you Grandma, as you are Jeffrey’s Grandma and very much a big part of his life. But you became a big part of mine.

I want to thank you for opening your heart to me from the moment we met back in April of 2020. I always felt welcome in your home, and it made me smile big and wide to turn the corner into the living room and see you and hear “Hi Mandy – how are you, nice to see you.”

I will never forget your gratitude at even the littlest things, and the warmth I felt from you when I gave you the painting I made for you of the Moravian Church, and your embroidery. It still makes me feel happy when I see it on the wall.

I will miss our conversations. Your stories of Black Island, of laying codfish, your boat rides, and of your sisters and parents. Stories about your children and the hard choices you had to make, and of the loss of your beloved George. I could never get tired of hearing your memories, and I’ll miss them each time I visit and you’re not sitting in your chair.

Thank you for your patience with me as I tried to learn small bits of Inuttitut to try and speak with you in a language you hold dear. “It doesn’t matter if you say it right right away, it matters that you try” is what you would say.

For all you have endured, you’re now at peace. I will take good care of your boy, we will miss you very much.

nagligivagit,
Mandy