“‘Who’s that in the picture?’
It’s a question that still knocks the wind out of me every single time. No matter how many times I prepare myself, I can never be ready for the moment one of my sons stumbles upon her picture and asks.
It’s someone they should know. Someone they should be able to recognize instantly in any photograph, or spot in any crowded room.
It’s someone whose voice they should know over the phone, whose laugh they should remember without even trying.
It’s someone whose hugs they should be able to describe, whose ‘I love you’ should be etched into their hearts forever.
It’s Nana.
But Nana lives in Heaven.
She won’t be in new pictures with them, she won’t appear in videos or on Facetime calls, she won’t be cheering from the sidelines at special events, or sitting front and center at birthdays and graduations—even though, if it were up to her, she would.
Because it’s Nana, after all.
She lives in Heaven.
Even though her pictures are scattered all over our house and her stories are told over and over, it’s still not the same as having her here. They’ll never know the simple joy of calling her on the phone or spending the night at her house.
Because their Nana lives in Heaven.
So, they will probably always ask, ‘Who’s that in the picture?’ And every time, once I catch my breath, I tell them the same story I’ve told them before.
‘That’s your Nana,’ I say. ‘She lives in Heaven, where some of the best grandmas live. You won’t see her in new pictures or at birthday parties or events, but just because you can’t see her doesn’t mean she’s not here. Nana loves you so much, and she’s always wherever you are.
You just have to look a little harder to find her, like I do—but I promise you, she’s always there.’”
