Six years ago this coming Sunday, I lost a dear friend and spiritual mother. Urania Alissandratos, whom many called “Yia Yia.” It’s been a while since I’ve made kolliva—the boiled wheat dish we make to honor the dead—so I’m going to make it for Sunday’s memorial prayers for Urania at St. John Orthodox Church in Memphis.
Back in 2007, I wrote these two blog posts during the final days of Urania’s life:
“Watching, Dancing and Fishing”
“Catch and Release and ‘Watching’ Continued”
Eventually I edited them into one essay, which was published in the St. Katherine Review, Voume 1, Number 2. (Print journal only, so I can’t share a link to the article here.)
When we sing “Memory Eternal” this Sunday, I’m sure there will be tears, as many loved her and still miss her dearly. But also much joy and thankful hearts for the faith and love that she taught us by her life. She also taught us a lot about dying.
Memory eternal, Urania.