""Bye Nonna," I whispered again, and touched her arm just above the bed sheet. I gazed at her one final time, and like those summer days I spent memorizing her features and the sound of her voice, I studied her this time too. I felt I would soon need all those memories. I left the room not fully realizing this was the last time I would see her alive." "An Ordinary Life" occurs between birth and death. As he experiences the final days of his grandfather's life, author Charles J. Alaimo relives another painful chapter in his memory-the death of his grandmother, Nonna Maria, nineteen years earlier. Through her life, faith, and the courage with which she battles cancer, this simple Sicilian grandmother has a profound effect on her young grandson, changing his life forever. "An Ordinary Life" gives us hope that, despite death, our loved ones remain with us, guiding us through life's journey.