In Memory of Lois Edwina Grayson

Last week, Shayna’s grandmother, Lois Edwina Grayson, and great grandmother to our children, passed away at her home in West Orange, New Jersey.

Shayna became Grandma’s first grandchild and made her into a grandmother, and was followed by many more.

Chana, became Grandma’s first great grandchild and made her into a great grandmother and was followed by many more.

For over twenty years Grandma has been a part of our family life, as we had countless visits and get togethers, spent many Thanksgiving Celebrations together in New Jersey, and of course we spent lots of time every summer with her in her home in Truro, Massachusetts.

Grandma was a loving mother, grandmother, and great grandmother and was predeceased by her husband Ed.

Grandma loved to paint and write poetry and we have many of her paintings up in our home. Her poetry often reflected the artistic beauty that she stopped to notice in the world around her and of the deeper aspects of humanity and people that she interacted with.

Her parents ran a summer camp (Camp Wingo) in Maine for many years, and she had a special passion for New England, Summer Camps, and the outdoors, and of course the Red Sox.

Unassuming, deep, authentic, artistic and creative, she continued to enjoy and find meaning in life until her last day.

When we chatted about her life and what it was like when she grew up in Boston, she would reminisce with so many meaningful and poignant memories, and would marvel at how much has changed in the world around us over the span of her 94 years.

She looked forward to the weekly visits from any of her many grandchildren and great grandchildren, and left a legacy of light, joy, creativity and passion for doing what was right.

This weekend she would have turned 95 years old….

In the summer we would sit on the deck of her home overlooking the Truro bay and we would marvel almost daily at the stunning sunset that would cast its glow over the sea. Some nights it was pink, some nights bright orange with red and yellow flairs and sometimes just a sea of bright colors, surrounding the sun as it gently made its way down to the ocean. We would watch the final moments when the sun slowly disappeared over the horizon, yet the glow continued to shine for many more minutes. Then, even as darkness descended on the night, we knew that the sun would rise yet again tomorrow with its brilliant glow.

Grandma has gone over the horizon and her sun has set, but the glow and light that she brought to the world through her words, art, and family, continue to share their beautiful colors, and are a symbol of the continuum of life that continues to rise again after the darkness, as a new morning dawns.

Here is a Poem that Grandma wrote which I liked and found very meaningful, it is called “It’s the Search that Matters” and it really highlights how Grandma would stop and take in the beauty and richness of life, and live and be in the moment, instead of always rushing on to the next great thing.

The hilly winding country road,
Has its special fascination
a labyrinth of birch & pine
And wild flowers of temptation

I know it’s the long way
With no sign to guide me
Its easy to get lost in
But extravagantly free

I’d rather take the slow road
Even on dark nites
And see the eyes of woodland elves
Reflecting my “high lights”

I’d take the slow road any day
It’s much more fun
After all, it’s the search that matters, isn’t it?
Not the destination

In loving memory of Grandma, Lois Edwina Grayson, Leah Bas Moshe Pinchas

May her memory be a blessing and may her children David, Miriam Chaya & Shoshana Bracha be comforted along with all of her grandchildren and great grandchildren.