To Celebrate her Grampy
For the first seven years of her life, Leah knew that her Grampy Eliot was one of her constants. He was always there for her, attending school activities, driving her to camp, taking her Trick or Treating, swimming at the Y, finding sea glass on the Cape Cod beach, or just hanging out on the weekends at his and Mimi’s home with their dog, Hugo. Grampy and Leah were like two peas in a pod.
On January 1, 2019, Grampy was found at the bottom of a flight of stairs in their building and rushed to the hospital, where he died. Weeks away from her eighth birthday, Leah was so sad to have lost her Grampy. Mimi said it might help to remember warm memories of our times with Grampy.
Eliot was an amazing person. He was loved by his family and by so many people in the community. Eliot co-owned Rosie’s Bakery where Leah loved munching on awesome yummy scones. She learned that Grampy used to go into the kitchen and steal the muffin tops when no one was looking. These kinds of stories make her smile.
Leah knows that the most important thing is to have beautiful memories of all the great times they spent together. She knows that Grampy thought she was a very special girl and that he was so happy that he got to share so much with her.
One study found that “the more children knew about their family’s history, the stronger their sense of control over their lives, [and] the higher their self-esteem.” This factor was indeed “the best single predictor of children’s emotional health and happiness.” Those with “the most self-confidence” had what one researcher called “a strong ‘intergenerational self.’ They know they belong to something bigger than themselves." (LDS Living 2018)
For Leah, GreatAlbum would go far beyond what could be done with a Facebook group like Friends of Eliot. It will enable her to collect stories from many of her Grampy’s family, friends, colleagues and community members, organize them into events and themes and help her learn what an amazing son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, business owner and community member he was. It will help her cherish that Eliot was her Grampy, even more than her sense of loss for losing him. And it will give her resilience to know that he is always with her, and she can continue to learn lessons from him and gain strength from him.