Endings...

I walked around Center City sweating under a hot leather jacket. It was 57 degrees on a January night. The cries of a man went through my earphones as he sang about life in a way very few people do, complete with a musical score to track the highs and lows.

I could barely keep my head up as I walked, too stuck in my misery to do much.

My grandmother had passed away.

Around 9pm, I put on an album by Devin Townsend named "Infinity". Earlier this day, a Suncoast video store and a Borders Express in the Gallery Mall shut their doors for the final time, as well as Pearl Art Supplies. The Minnesota Vikings lost to the New Orleans Saints, denying Brett Farve yet another chance to go to the Super Bowl. It was a day of countless endings and very few beginnings.

I spent the better part of the weekend miserable. I locked myself inside to make sure I didn't hurt anyone because of the pain I felt knowing my grandma was going to die soon, and I spent Sunday morning in some of the worst pain I've known.

"Infinity" is one of my favorite albums of all time. Its the type of record that goes through nearly everything; life, death, pain, pleasure... and it does it through countless styles, such as jazz, musical, metal, alt-rock... the list goes on.

And my grandma died at 10PM, right as the album came to a close.

The song? "Man"



It is, was, and will be one of my favorite songs.

I loved my Grandma a lot.

She was the one who raised me whenever mom wasn't able to, and we had a lot of great times together, and some not-so-good times. Times were rough because of her Alzheimer's as she grew older, but I still loved her all the same. She raised a beautiful daughter and a handsome son, bringing them during the 60's to Philadelphia from Washington D.C. She was married to a wonderful man who she lost in 1984. Despite growing up during the Great Depression, Segregation, and countless other struggles that I will never be able to even imagine, she has one of the healthiest, brightest, and most encouraging attitudes I've seen in my entire life. She was a pleasure to be around and to know, and always cared about her family.

She managed to only have minor back problems as a health condition until the time she was in her mid-80's when she had a stroke. The stroke, combined with her Alzheimer's made things worse for her. She is survived by her son and her grandson, who both love her very much and will miss her more than you, me, and even God will ever know.

She was 93.