Faces 28/03/2025

I sit in my dining chair and I see the faces come through the door
Sit down, stand up, have you eaten? Would you like some more? 
Hug, kiss and smile, it's been a while since I've seen you
The time's been kind, you've lost weight, it's sure nice to see you
I gotta say, it feels like Christmas, us coming all together
You could ask for better days it's a shame about the weather
Faces change, faces gone, there are some that couldn't make it
Still, there are faces new, and that's a picture worth saving
Just like Christmas, like the ones I used to remember
The ones with crowded tables, and the heat of December
So, I sit in my dining chair and see the faces come through the door
Sit down, stand up, have you eaten? Would you like some more? 

---

On the 24th of March I received news of my Grandma’s failing health. She was rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night. She was having trouble breathing. This had happened before, six months ago. This time seemed more serious.

The next morning, as I was having coffee in my girlfriend’s living room, I was shifting from left to right thinking about whether or not I should take off work. “You know what,” I said aloud, “I should. I should.” I kissed her goodbye, sent a text, and I went straight to the hospital.

Little did I know, all of my cousins had the same idea. Across the day, there began a slow arrival as I sat in the creaky chair that faced the corridor–a familiar face would lean over to peek inside and then come striding through to stand at my grandma’s bedside. Some drove up from Canberra (three hours away). Some flew in from Brisbane. An uncle made the flight all the way from San Francisco.

Seven kids. Fourteen grandchildren. Nine great-grandchildren. One little lady.

Little frame. Big power. Very efficient.

It was nice to see people arrive. As cruel as the day may have been to call us together under such circumstances, it was still beautiful to have us all together. To see the care and love we each had for this one woman. The lengths we would go to see that she’s ok.

My cousin’s partner had the same reflection. On the night after her cremation, he turned to me and said, “it’s sad that it had to be like this, but it’s nice how these things bring people together.”

She passed 28/03/2025. She was cremated 5/04/2025.