The Healing Journey

July 6, 2025

While Lenny was rummaging through the attic, he came upon several boxes that had been in the back corner for at least a decade. When he opened them, he realized they were filled with personal effects of his mother, which he had taken after she passed. They included her collection of Disney VHS videos like “Lady and the Tramp” and “101 Dalmatians.” She had them all, and she watched them all over and over in her bedroom, where they placed her TV after she became sick with cancer and Alzheimer’s. In fact, she watched those classic cartoon films so much, she could recite some of the dialogue.

The box also included prayer books and rosaries. She recited the rosary every night before shutting her eyes and going to sleep. And even though Alzheimer’s ravaged her memory — and she couldn’t recognize the people she loved — she never forgot her prayers.

Then, he pulled out a small decorative pillow from the box that someone had given her, which said, “God couldn’t be everywhere, so he created grandmothers.” She kept it prominently displayed in her living room. Lenny thought it was corny when he first saw it, but now, years later, he realized how much truth that simple phrase captured.

She had nine grandchildren, and they all loved her. They all loved going to her house on Sunday afternoon for dinner and cookouts. They loved raiding her cabinets, where she kept all the junk food they weren’t allowed to eat at home…from Hostess Twinkies to Devil Dogs to Twizzlers and M&Ms. You name it, she had it, for better or for worse.

But there was more. She took them to Mass when their parents were too lazy to fulfill their responsibility. She listened to their childhood concerns when their parents were too busy. And every night, she prayed for their well-being and that the Blessed Mother would watch over them. As he held the pillow, he came to a belated realization: “God couldn’t be everywhere, so he created grandmothers.
©J Pisani

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