Lassoing the Moon

By Sean Smith
My grandmother, Nana, said that its called
falling in love for a reason. Whoever coined
that phrase wanted to accurately sum up the lack
of control one has when their heart is
overwhelmed by another. erhaps that is the
reason ! say silly things to "ody without
reali#ing the significance.
$his past spring ! took her on an impromptu
drive to en%oy a view of the moon when it was at
its closest position to the earth. ! stopped the car
and feigned a &ussian accent' !ve gotta plan.
Want to hear my plan(
"ody' Whats your plan(
Me' ! am going to steal the moon)
"ody' $he *uper Moon(
Me' ! am totally going to shrink the moon and
steal it)
!m by no means the first guy to want to give his
girl the moon. When your own words fail you,
borrow those of a favorite movie character. !
have a cartoon curmudgeon named +ru who
plans the ultimate heist while adopting three
orphan girls.
My grandfather had "immy *tewart as +eorge
,ailey.
+eorge' What is it you want, Mary( What do
you want( -ou want the moon( "ust say the
word and !ll throw a lasso around it and pull it
down. .ey. $hats a pretty good idea. !ll give
you the moon, Mary.
Mary' !ll take it. $hen what(
Well, in the case of my grandfather, the then
what was a home for his wife /athleen in
&ockland 0ounty, New -ork where they raised
their four daughters. 1very morning ,ob kissed
his family goodbye and commuted to the city to
work for the N-2. 3ll in all it was a wonderful
life.
My grandfather left us as a result of a car crash
in 4565. Nana never really recovered, but she
went back to work for the earl &iver school
system, maintained the house on 7orest 3venue
for another 89 years, and took care of the moon
for the ne:t ;8 years.
$en grandchildren and 44 great grandchildren
later, the family continued to orbit around her.
Nana was the diplomacy which ensued when
conflicts erupted. *he was the glue that kept
everyone close. *he knew every ones hobbies,
knew who had changed %obs recently, knew who
was in what grade, and knew who won the t<ball
championships. *he also knew who was not<yet
married=thatd be me.
$hings never really happen the way one thinks
theyre supposed to happen. Nana spent the last
three years in the Mount 3lverno nursing center
in Warwick, her mind sharp and somewhat
troubled about both her diminished mobility and
my unsettled life.
7or me, the moon was still at a distance.
Nana never got to walk through the door of the
home ! bought, but she did get a virtual tour on
my laptop when ! visited her last summer.
0oincidentally, and %ust days before that visit, !
met "ody, but "ody and ! would not run into each
other again until several months later.
Nana passed away in "une=almost a year to the
day of that visit. "ody accompanied me to the
funeral. *he never met Nana in person, but she
was able to speak with her on the phone, and
Nana knew ! planned to marry her.
Nana took a fall, and the resulting surgery to
repair her broken hip left her with an enlarged
heart. !n her last days, there were only brief
moments of lucidity, and ! did not get to pass
along the news ! learned the day of her
operation'
"ody is e:pecting our first child.
When the funeral was over, ! drove to ;; 7orest
3venue to find the current owner e:pecting his
fourth child. >nce again Nanas house will raise
four girls.
1ach night ! come home and open 7acebook to
see my cousin is in 3fghanistan and safe. !
message my niece and nephew about their
school day, and ! continue to try to broker a
peace between Mom and my brothers wife. !
look at mobile uploads to see that my aunts are
very much en%oying their new grandchildren.
$hen ! do a little more to clear out and prepare
the room that is to become the nursery in my
home. When ! turn in, ! always say a short
prayer and ask Nana to help me take good care
of the moon.
Sean Smith is a professional writer and actor.
He and Jody welcomed Reilly Kathleen Smith to
the world on February 15
th
, 211.