two days ago my awesome grandma passed away. It is sad to lose my only two grandparents in the same year, two people who I spoke to every week my whole life, but everyone says that elderly couples who die within a year of each other were very in love or something. That sounds amazing and unfortunately I will never experience that because of my lifestyle (gay. My grandma was one of my best friends. it’s amazing to have someone who you call and when you say “hello” you can hear their eyes light up when they realize it’s you calling. i have thought about describing her as someone who as lived many lives, but in fact she was just someone who lived one very varied and colorful and engaged life and wore costume jewelry most days. when she was in high school her friend went blind and wouldn’t talk to anyone so my grandma learned braille. when she cooked she would always leave me a pan of burnt garlic to eat. in 2020 she got a letter from the southern poverty law center that said they were putting up a plaque in her honor for her efforts during the civil rights movement in the south. she loved to travel and she loved to litter her house in tchotchkes from around the world. her politics were progressive and she would write nasty letters to politicians with her friends. she was funny and playful and always wanted to smoke a cigarette laying on top of a piano, and I said why don’t you come do a show with me in Brooklyn sometime, and she always wanted to. and she was always on my side and wanted to know everything going on and even when her memory got bad and she started asking me the same things over and over, I knew she was always genuinely curious and excited for me and I didn’t mind repeating myself. She came to all of my shows as a kid and when she couldn’t come anymore she would watch my YouTube channel. everyone loved her and she made friends everywhere — the cashiers at kohl’s, the gardeners at the farmers market, the nurses that took care of her. she had a beautiful garden that she fretted over until she couldn’t see it out of her window anymore. I am lucky to have known her and to have had someone who made me feel special and loved. i love you forever grandma!!!!!