Pappa's Passing
My Grandfather passed away this past Thursday. This is my favorite picture of me and him. In many ways I find it difficult to grieve his passing appropriately. We were separated by thousands of miles. He didn't speak any English and I did not really speak much Finnish beyond the rudimentary basics. I saw him when we would visit, usually about every other year throughout my childhood. That was my family's big vacation: going to Finland, staying on their farm for three weeks. As I think on it, those unique Finnish trips, memories, people--can all be quite easy to compartmentalize as I try to get on with life over here. Yet, those memories and people remain a part of me. Pappa remains a part of me. Some might wonder how I could have a good relationship with someone who I did not see often and who did not share a language with me. It really was not difficult. If anything it made the interactions more precious, the translations from my mom more treasured. I had t...