--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My grandmother stepped back into the…" description: "\"My grandmother stepped back into the kitchen to get their drinks. I had come to love her more after death than I ever had on Earth. I wish I could say ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/alice-sebold-999_after-death_my-grandmother-stepped-back-into-the-kit_963356.jpg" --- # My grandmother stepped back into the kitchen to get their… ![“My grandmother stepped back into the kitchen to get their drinks. I had come to love her more after death than I ever had on Earth. I wish I could say that in that moment in the kitchen she decided to quit drinking, but I now saw that drinking was a part of what made her who she was. If the worst…” quote by Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/alice-sebold-999_after-death_my-grandmother-stepped-back-into-the-kit_963356.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/alice-sebold-999_after-death_my-grandmother-stepped-back-into-the-kit_963356.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/alice-sebold-999_after-death_my-grandmother-stepped-back-into-the-kit_963356.jpg) > “My grandmother stepped back into the kitchen to get their drinks. I had come to love her more after death than I ever had on Earth. I wish I could say that in that moment in the kitchen she decided to quit drinking, but I now saw that drinking was a part of what made her who she was. If the worst of what she left on Earth was a legacy of inebriated support, it was a good legacy in my book. ~Susie's grandmother, Lynn pgs 315-316” [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects on how a loved one’s harmful habits can be integral to their identity, suggesting that legacy is a mix of flaws and virtues that shape our memory of them. **In simple terms:** People are remembered for both good and bad traits that define them. Key Takeaway Accept complex legacies, not just idealized memories. Themes family legacy acceptance Mood somber introspective Type memoir reflective When to use this quote - grief counseling - family dynamics - personal reflection Key Concepts Psychology memory Questions to Reflect On - How do you honor both strengths and weaknesses of loved ones? - What parts of a legacy matter most to you? A Different Perspective Focusing on flaws may hinder healing; balance is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [After death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/after-death/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Drinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drinking/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Grandmother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandmother/) [Legacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legacy/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Quit drinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quit-drinking/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [“...when I closed my eyes and saw her drinking tea and opened them and still could see her, and I wanted so much to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-m-danforth/when-i-closed-my-eyes-and-saw-her-drinking-tea-and-opened-them-and/) [Emily M. Danforth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-m-danforth/) > [“And a soul would run by a living being, touch them softly on the shoulder or cheek, and continue on its way to heaven.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/and-a-soul-would-run-by-a-living-being-touch-them-softly-on-the/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [I quit drinking every night, at 1:30 A.M.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-adams/i-quit-drinking-every-night-at-1-30-a-m/) [Ryan Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-adams/) > [“On the off chance my caller would tell me to quit drinking, I positioned myself on the sofa with two six-packs and a bottle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/on-the-off-chance-my-caller-would-tell-me-to-quit-drinking-i/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [Did you ever drink so much of a certain type of alcohol that you get so sick that you can never drink the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/did-you-ever-drink-so-much-of-a-certain-type-of-alcohol-that-you-get/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [I think it just has to do with getting older and getting better at what it was I was doing, and that I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-think-it-just-has-to-do-with-getting-older-and-getting-better-at/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [Well from a personal perspective, quitting drinking is a decision I felt good about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/well-from-a-personal-perspective-quitting-drinking-is-a-decision-i/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Since I've quit drinking, I'm not sure I've found the good life, but I've certainly uncovered a better one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koren-zailckas/since-i-ve-quit-drinking-i-m-not-sure-i-ve-found-the-good-life-but-i/) [Koren Zailckas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koren-zailckas/) > [Economists believe there are three reasons why the Russian economy is doing so poorly. One, economic sanctions are working. Number two, low-price oil. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/economists-believe-there-are-three-reasons-why-the-russian-economy-is/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [“The day I became free of alcohol was the day that I fully understood and embraced the truth that I would not be giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-hemingway/the-day-i-became-free-of-alcohol-was-the-day-that-i-fully-understood/) Liz Hemingway > [“But I should note, for all my resistance to organized religion, that I don't believe Charlie could have quit drinking without it. It provided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/but-i-should-note-for-all-my-resistance-to-organized-religion-that-i/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [I quit drinking in 2002, mere months before my college graduation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-gethard/i-quit-drinking-in-2002-mere-months-before-my-college-graduation/) [Chris Gethard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-gethard/) > [I called my dad to tell him I was gonna quit drinking and he told me don't be a quitter!..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-called-my-dad-to-tell-him-i-was-gonna-quit-drinking-and-he-told-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I quit drinking. That was a big problem for a lot of years. Then after that, I just started feeling grateful again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-crystal/i-quit-drinking-that-was-a-big-problem-for-a-lot-of-years-then-after/) [Billy Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-crystal/) > [I sobered up and I got to thinking, girl, you ain't much fun since I quit drinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-keith/i-sobered-up-and-i-got-to-thinking-girl-you-ain-t-much-fun-since-i/) [Toby Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-keith/) ## More by Alice Sebold > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [I left my mark on that man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/i-left-my-mark-on-that-man/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [These things, she felt, were not to be passed around like disingenuous party favors. She kept an honor code with her journals and her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/these-things-she-felt-were-not-to-be-passed-around-like-disingenuous/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [I don't think ignorance is a way that you gain distance on something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/i-don-t-think-ignorance-is-a-way-that-you-gain-distance-on-something/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [I was like I was in science class: I was curious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/i-was-like-i-was-in-science-class-i-was-curious/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“There are secret rooms inside us,” I had said to my therapist. “A relatively benign construct,” he said, and so I did not bother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/there-are-secret-rooms-inside-us-i-had-said-to-my-therapist-a/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“This is just a temporary hell, not a permanent one”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/this-is-just-a-temporary-hell-not-a-permanent-one/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“And a soul would run by a living being, touch them softly on the shoulder or cheek, and continue on its way to heaven.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/and-a-soul-would-run-by-a-living-being-touch-them-softly-on-the/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [As if in the other side of his kiss there could ve a new life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/as-if-in-the-other-side-of-his-kiss-there-could-ve-a-new-life/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“My little brother's greatest fear was that the one person who meant so much to him would go away. He loved Lindsey and Grandma…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/my-little-brother-s-greatest-fear-was-that-the-one-person-who-meant/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“She listened for the pain in my words, not to the narrative itself. She was intuiting what it meant to me, what was most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/she-listened-for-the-pain-in-my-words-not-to-the-narrative-itself-she/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [The relationship with the words someone uses is more intimate and integrated than just a quick read and a blurb can ever be. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/the-relationship-with-the-words-someone-uses-is-more-intimate-and/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [Ruth hadn't talked to my sister since before my death, and then it was only to excuse herself in the hallway at school. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/ruth-hadn-t-talked-to-my-sister-since-before-my-death-and-then-it-was/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [Since then I've always thought that under rape in the dictionary it should tell the truth. It is not just forcible intercourse; rape means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/since-then-i-ve-always-thought-that-under-rape-in-the-dictionary-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [I live in a world where two truths coexist: where both hell and hope lie in the palm of my hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/i-live-in-a-world-where-two-truths-coexist-where-both-hell-and-hope/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) [Explore all 302 Alice Sebold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) ## More After death quotes > [The world of imagination is the world of eternity. It is the divine bosom into which we shall all go after death of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/the-world-of-imagination-is-the-world-of-eternity-it-is-the-divine/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [After death there is nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/after-death-there-is-nothing/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [For days after death hair and fingernails continue to grow, but phone calls taper off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-carson/for-days-after-death-hair-and-fingernails-continue-to-grow-but-phone/) [Johnny Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-carson/) > [ Now they \[the Powers\] have started the aggression, and the extinction of our nation is imminent. If we just fold our arms and yield… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/empress-dowager-cixi/now-they-the-powers-have-started-the-aggression-and-the-extinction-of/) Empress Dowager Cixi > [You're a religious man, ... You believe in God and life after death. I also believe. When we come to the other world and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-wiesenthal/you-re-a-religious-man-you-believe-in-god-and-life-after-death-i-also/) [Simon Wiesenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-wiesenthal/) > [And after death something new begins, over which all the powers of the world of death can have no more control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/and-after-death-something-new-begins-over-which-all-the-powers-of-the/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [If the Soul sees, after death , what passes on this earth , and watches over the welfare of those it loves, then must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-pike/if-the-soul-sees-after-death-what-passes-on-this-earth-and-watches/) [Albert Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-pike/) > [When we see the many grave-stones which have fallen in, which have been defaced by the footsteps of the congregation, which lie buried under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/when-we-see-the-many-grave-stones-which-have-fallen-in-which-have/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [It is for all men that come into the world once to die; and after death the judgment! And since death is a debt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rumbold/it-is-for-all-men-that-come-into-the-world-once-to-die-and-after/) [Richard Rumbold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rumbold/) > [What we should be after death, we have to attain in life, i.e. holiness and bliss. Here on earth the Kingdom of God begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paracelsus/what-we-should-be-after-death-we-have-to-attain-in-life-i-e-holiness/) [Paracelsus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paracelsus/) > [(After death.) So few people who come across, possess awareness of any kind. All they bring along with them are worthless values. All they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-matheson/after-death-so-few-people-who-come-across-possess-awareness-of-any/) [Richard Matheson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-matheson/) > [I think I have fairly heard and fairly weighed the evidence on both sides, and I remain an utter disbeliever in almost all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-russel-wallace/i-think-i-have-fairly-heard-and-fairly-weighed-the-evidence-on-both/) [Alfred Russel Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-russel-wallace/) > [I want people to emphasize life before death as opposed to life after death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/i-want-people-to-emphasize-life-before-death-as-opposed-to-life-after/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [I thought of the priest who'd told me that many religions hold that it is easier to be closely connected to people we love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-thought-of-the-priest-who-d-told-me-that-many-religions-hold-that/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“And a soul would run by a living being, touch them softly on the shoulder or cheek, and continue on its way to heaven.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/and-a-soul-would-run-by-a-living-being-touch-them-softly-on-the/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) [Browse all 303 After death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/after-death/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My grandmother stepped back into the kitchen to get their drinks. 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