Grandma’s Eulogy
02/07/11
Christina Marie Goulette Murphy
Oct 16, 1927 – Jan 30, 2011
By: Ryan Joseph Foss
I am one of 18 Murphy Grandchildren. As we celebrate our Grandmother's life today, and I gather with all my cousins, the first thing that comes to my mind is how blessed we are.
I am in awe of the talents and the qualities the Grandchildren in this family possess. We are scholars, teachers, caregivers ... athletes, musicians, actors … hard workers, and good cooks. We all live our lives to the fullest, following our passions. We value family first and foremost and go through life maintaining a sense of humor; we laugh together at any chance we get. We are filled with tenderness, kind heartedness, love, and are strong in our faith. Most of all, we give.
Now, one could argue there was something in the water up there on the top of Brewer Street, starting all of this, flowing down throughout our family.
I would be more inclined to look with certainty that our Grandmother possessed all of these talents, qualities and these family values. Her faith and her love has carried through the generations.
She nurtured and cared for us, and not to mention, when given the chance, she would sustain us with three square meals a day.
Wherever Grandma was, Brewer, Winslow, New York, or at her Grandchildren's house, the Grandchildren would gather around her. While her grandchildren were her passion, It would not be fair to leave out the countless neighborhood kids that would come knocking at the door looking for Mrs. Murphy.
We cousins share some common memories of times with Grandma. She would lead games of Red Light Green Light and Mother May I. She would take us sledding. She would make Pomanders with us. She would write, produce, direct, and act as the costume designer for extravagant plays. Somewhere in between all the days fun, she would find the time to make dinner, where we would feast upon the world's best Mac and Cheese, finish dinner with talks of religion, faith, and God, and then retreat to bed for bible stories, fables, fairy tales, and stories of Mike and Spike ... only to be awaken by the smell of Grandpas bacon and treated to the best crepes in the world.
Our Grandmother was a teacher of many. I even had the privilege of attending her CCD classes, although at the time, I didn't always see this as a privilege ... Consequently, I ended up spending some time with the nuns transcribing the bible.
Our Grandmother passed on many things to her Grandchildren:
She taught us to eat until she saw the flowers on our plate.
Grandma taught us music and song. Her amazing gift resonated joy through us all.
She taught us to sew. It was in this act that her patience and attention to detail shined.
Grandma taught us cooking. Her cooking was gourmet.
She taught us to marry well, in that she married the best dishwasher on earth.
Grandma taught us grace as she attended pretend masses at the Bean House.
She taught us humor. She and Grandpa would fill the room with laughter. Boy did they love to laugh. She may have even been coerced by her grandchildren, once or twice, to take out her teeth, which was followed by shock, and then laughter by all.
Grandma taught us honesty. Although, there were times she convinced every one of her Granddaughters that she was the real Cinderella. In her defense, she even showed them her glass slipper..
She taught us French. Grand-mère, repose en paix.
Our grandmother instilled us with discipline. This discipline she conveyed was in something as simple as a session of Quakers meeting before dinner, or a tale from Essops Fables. More often, it was grounded in lessons only derived from a life of loyalty, sacrifice, and faith.
She taught us prayer. Our grandmother prayed for us, and we know this is another reason we are all so blessed. At some of the harder times in my life, she taught me how to pray. I was praying for the things in life that I thought were important and that I thought I should be praying for. Grandma taught me to open myself to God, so that I may be show what is important. She taught me to pray for discernment.
Our Grandmother taught us faith. She taught not only through her understanding of the word of God, but she taught us faith through the way she lived her life. Her faith stood at the center of all that she was and all that she is.
Considering all this nurturing we received from our Grandmother, I wish I could say that I was always well behaved for my dear grandmother. Yet, there were times that this may not have been the case. We never broke melmac plates over each other, but there were times Grandma would have ask, 'what had happened to the other Ryan, the other Eric, and the other Chris.
It was usually Chris and Eric's fault.
Grandma would then ask us to travel through the Brewer St. house, into the upstairs, through the bedroom, past the cat sheet bunk beds, where we would then proceed down the back stairs. Upon emerging from these back stairs, a transformation would occur, and the other boys, the good boys, would be revealed.
This transformation infinitely pales in comparison to the transformation our Grandmother has made.
The mysteries of her faith have been revealed, and she has gone to be with God.
In reflecting upon all that she has shared, all that she has given, all that she has nurtured, and all that she has taught, I look out at this moment and see all that she loved. I see the picture of the family she created.
It fills me with great joy to know that Grandma has given us the ability to see how blessed we are.
25 years ago... give or take... during the duck hunting era. What a crew.
