Dear Grandma Relli,
I know last month marked 14 years that you've been gone, but I still remember you like I saw you yesterday. That was one of your best qualities - you always made me and everyone you met feel like they were home when they talked to you. I remember your tiny little New York house with a piece of land that got covered in the most beautiful red and orange leaves in the fall. I remember laughing until I cried as you described your active war against the squirrels in your yard who tried to steal food from the bird feeder, and succeeded in the most ridiculous of ways.

When we lived overseas, you came on flights that lasted 12+ hours just to visit us, at a time when flying wasn't so common. Looking back, I can't believe you did that alone. I'm sure that was a little scary, but seeing that you cared enough to come and visit despite how you probably felt about it meant the world to us. In fact, it means even more today than it did at the time...