Joshua Addison, violin
Hillary Smith, cello
2 minutes
Grandma,
There is no way that I will ever be able to sufficiently thank you for everything that you gave to me.
When I was young and you took care of me you taught me simple but important things, like to look
both ways before crossing the street. You, along with my mom and the rest of our family, taught
me what it means, and how, to love someone unconditionally. And later in life, in our most recent
talks, you told me what you thought about happiness. That sometimes things don’t go as planned,
or we don’t accomplish our goals, but even then we can find ways to be happy. We can be proud in
knowing that we tried, and we can accept our shortcomings and take them in stride, look at the good
things that we have and be happy about them. And you and everything you taught me are among the
best things I will ever have.
As hard as this time is, I am so happy and grateful to have had you in my life. I miss and will continue
to miss you immensely. I take solace knowing that you didn’t suffer, and that you knew how important
you are to me and how much I love you. I also know that you wouldn’t want me, or any of us, moping
around depressed on account of you. You wouldn’t want to see us all crying. You would want us to be
happy, and to go on and keep making you proud.
So I wrote you this piece that is about to be played. And I made sure to have it end on a major chord,
so that we can smile and know that there is a brightness at the end of this, and that brightness is your
love that will never fade, and it is in all that we do for the rest of our lives, and we are so incredibly
lucky to have it, and to have had you.
You’re an inspiration, grandma. I love you, and I will always have you with me in all of the good that I
can do.
Written in loving memory of Florence Norton, my grandmother, who passed away on Thanksgiving Day in 2010. She was an absolutely amazing woman and continues to be an inspiration like none other. This is completely different from anything else I've ever written, and the fastest I've ever written a piece. I think she would have liked it.
Violin
Cello