Just over two weeks ago, my wife’s Granny, Margaret Forrest, passed away. I’ve known her for as long as I’ve been with Chelsea and considered her to be a dear friend. We shared countless conversations over tea and she won more Scrabble tournaments than I can remember. She was one of the sweetest persons I’ve ever known and was undoubtedly a huge inspiration to the kind, beautiful person my wife turned out to be. Here she is proudly holding her first great-grandchild, Skyler Blue, whom she adored.

I remember back in 2006, I received a call from Granny. “Hi, Marcio! I listened to your CD and, at first, I thought it was quite dreadful! However, after listening carefully, I thought it was beautiful. Very clever!” Here I was, a twenty year old young rocker with black eye liner smeared around my eyes and a seventy year old Granny liked my music. She was one of my biggest supporters ever since and always asked how my music was going. What she didn’t know was just how much that meant to me.

The last time I saw her, she held my hand and looked into my eyes as if to say, “I love you” and “Everything is going to be okay.” Before we left the hospital, we showed her a painting Skyler made for her and told her how often he asks to see her. She smiled with such pride and adoration. We then pointed to Chelsea’s very pregnant belly and said her second great-grandchild would be here any day. Her face lit up, she leaned forward and exclaimed, “Ooooooh!” Even in her last days, her spirit shined through.

A day after she passed, her old cat, Sasha, that we had adopted from her years ago, passed as well. I like to think that Margaret wanted her old friend by her side.

During our many talks over the years, Granny made it abundantly clear she believed in reincarnation. If there was anyone I knew that was peacefully prepared to lay this body to rest and inhabit another, it was Margaret. So, on behalf of your loving grand-daughter, Chelsea, your adoring great-grandson Skyler, and your adopted grand-son, little old me… We love you, Granny, and we’ll miss you more than you will ever know.