Thank You, Internet

This is my beautiful grandmother. Her name was Isabel, but her grandchildren called her Danny.

She was an amazing, loving, smart funny woman who loved and was loved by all who knew her. She was truly selfless, which is an incredible and rare trait, and I loved her so much.

She passed away on November 5, at home, surrounded by her children. Everyone should get to exit their life in such a graceful, calm way… she was a graceful and calm woman, so it surprised no one.

For the past five years, she had been fighting an increasingly difficult battle with Alzheimer’s and dementia, and it was so hard for her; though, even when she didn’t recognize the people around her, she was constantly thanking them for helping her. She was, in short, always a lady.

The morning of her funeral, after I had flown to Louisiana quickly with my sister and was staying with my parents, I thought for a moment and updated twitter with a quick note:

“Saying goodbye to my beloved grandmother this morning. Hard, hard day.”

I had debated whether to say anything online at all, because it seemed so personal. But if there’s anything I’ve learned about the internet lately, it’s that these people I communicate with daily, some of whom I have never met and some I never will meet… these people are friends. I can’t tell you the number of @ replies, DM’s, texts and emails I received immediately following my tweet, and it made me feel loved and supported and helped. I had such support from my friends and family, and it was invaluable;  the unexpected response from you lovely internet people meant the world to me.

I like to think my Danny would have approved; she loved good friends.

Thank you, internet. Thank you so much.

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