My Memories of Ada

I ask for prayers. Our family is in mourning. Grandma Ada (my husband's paternal Grandmother) passed away last night at 1:30 AM peacefully at the age of 90. She was such a moving force in our lives and in the Cochrane Family at large. She was our matriarch. To us, Grandma Ada’s passing is the passing of an era. Grandma Ada was born in Italy in 1920 but you would never know it because her English was impeccable. She attended the World’s Fair in NY in 1939 where she met Scott's Grandfather Bill Cochrane. She always said she fell in love with his blue eyes there. Ada lived through World War II as a single mom in a NY apartment while Bill was off at war. I still marvel that she was able to do this and keep her sanity but she had tremendous fortitude and was one of those people who made things happen not excuses. Despite all this, Ada was the most well read women that I have ever met. In fact, she was the only person I knew that did the NY Times cross word puzzle in ink. She loved learning and often tutored other people into her senior years. She was also committed to passing on her love of learning and intellectual curiosity to her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Ada had passion for a great many things in her life. She loved the local library, doing cross word puzzles, bike riding, the Opera, NY City, and visiting Europe. She lived a full and active life filled with friends and family.

Despite all of these things, what I will remember most about Ada is her love of intellectual conversation over the dinner table. It was her forum. She often pontificated about her Democratic political views over salad, bread, wine, and her famous blueberry crisp. When Scott and I were dating we went to her house at least once a week for dinner. It was the best marriage counseling anyone could ever get and it was free. Eating meals with Ada and Bill made our marriage strong. Ada had a strong personality. She never had a problem telling you what she thought or where you stood in her life. In fact, there was a time Ada didn't like me very much. However, over time her opinion of me changed and when we began to exchange letters. Ada was an amazing woman. Rarely do we have the opportunity to meet someone so cultured in our life that is related to us. Scott and I always joked that if we were playing Trivia, Ada would be our lifeline.

I am honored that Ada was in my life and grateful to her for making Scott into the man he is today. Ada Raviglione Cochrane will be missed by our family in Maryland and by so many others. Her life will continue to be a ripple in the water that touches us deeply. As for me, I will continue to look longingly at the mailbox wishing for just one last letter from her.

Does what I do matter?

The question is “does what we do matter?” I stopped writing on my blog in December 2009. Now it is almost May 2010. There are so many reasons that I stopped writing. But in a nut shell I got disheartened and then I allowed life to get in the way. I kept asking if anybody cared that I was writing. With only one follower, I assumed the answer was, “No.” However, in retrospect I was asking the wrong questions. What was behind the question of “does what I do matter” was an even larger question of “do I matter?” I have come to the conclusion that the answer is “Yes.” Recently, my hospice patient passed away. She was a stay at home Mom and I loved to listen to her stories of raising her girls in their formative years. Before she passed away she gave me the recipe to Strawberry Banana Pie which I made this spring for my children. They loved it! Even Scott loved it. Strawberry Banana Pie has become a staple at our table and in our lives. My hospice patient mattered and every time I eat that pie, I will think of her and her legacy will be remembered; which brings full circle to my blog postings. It does not matter if the world reads my blog or not. What matters is that it is a way of saying I was here. My blog and the things I write for my kids is my Strawberry Banana Pie. So I am delighted that I am remembered by at least one follower and that my 3 adoring children will remember that I was here. And for that I matter.