11/16/2025
Papou 💙 Sending you off knocked the wind out of me. It was equal parts, really beautiful and really devastating, and somehow it was exactly as you always planned it’d be. Feels weird to be doing almost anything in a world you’re not in anymore, especially going to family dinner tonight. The only thing I’ve craved the last week is hearing your melodic voice again— how you lingered to select the perfect words always, and your cackle— especially when you thought something YOU said was particularly funny. ☺️
Oh what a treat it was to find the voicemails you’ve left me in your recent years ✨ One wishing me a happy birthday and, ironically, reminding me not to waste any time. One complimenting my first attempt at cooking a favorite Greek dish of yours, somehow managing to work in a lesson about discipline and “keeping at it.” One asking me to “tell my mother that her voicemail is full, and as a a businesswoman, that cannot stand!” One asking me to come by when I was ready to talk so you could help me fix a problem I thought unsolvable. And of course, one telling me you’d cut an article out of the paper that you thought I’d like to read. All began with his same “hello Madeleine,” and all ending with a sweet “okay, bye bye, we love you.”
I wish I could call you one more time to tell you “I made it!” You loved to know wherever I was, whatever time it was, no matter how old I was. You loved good music and playing it loud. You loved a cowboy hat and an Indian bracelet (or two). You loved your family and encouraging us to work hard. You really loved life in a big, big way.
Saying thank you feels so trivial. But I will say, I’m grateful beyond measure you held on for our Greek wedding— sharp and present, there with us all day long. That’s probably one of the greatest gifts I’ll ever be given. 💙 Love, Little Girl
