A Day, A Week, A Month, A Year, A Decade, A Lifetime

So this is how it will be. Life goes on. We move on, go about our daily chores, work, travel, making/ keeping social obligations and all. But every now and then Baba comes to mind. His smiling face, silky white hair covering his head like a ballerina's barely-there-Tutu, his pudgy hands, soft Santa belly, spindly legs, distinctly shaped feet with the gout bumps and his hearty belly laugh. It's a strange feeling. Bittersweet. Assails one at odd hours, unexpectedly, so that a time-out becomes necessary. Sometimes warm tears, sometimes just a dull ache, sometimes guilt, sometimes a smile at a buried happy memory. The triggers are as varied as poetry, colourful little birds, shopping for cheese, a sketch of a Peacock, a shoe-box aquarium, cooking, a Danish Cemetery, a John Grisham book, the hint of a promotion at work or a bottle of French wine.

 

Will we ever forget how he made us feel? He loved and adored all of us and had a special connection with each one. How he wanted all of us to succeed, seeing the potential and unique ability in each of his grandchildren!  He firmly believed that young minds are like wet cement; anything that falls on them leaves an impression and therefore exposure to new and different things is vital, as is positive feedback. So he became, to his grand children, a conduit to tales of France, good food, the multiple types of wine, spit balls, flirting, art, nature, adventure, poetry, history, the importance of trying and failing and speaking your mind. Above all else, he gave us the enouragement that is so vital to a growing mind. Gave each one the clarity about what we're good at. And with it confidence and character. He saw the immense possibilities before us and gently coaxed us towards them.

 

At times I feel a modicum of the pride he must have felt: At the sensitive lovely little Poet, darling of her class, loved by students and teachers alike. At the determined debonair blossoming Actor, master of the stage, feted by girls and boys alike. At the loving gentle faultless Academic, top of her batch, esteemed by classmates and colleagues alike. At the creative, sharp-witted, happy-go-lucky Comedian with a heart of gold, the glue that holds everyone together.

 

 

It's a month today that he quietly left us but his memory lives on through all of us. A day, a week, a month, a year, a decade, a lifetime: I suspect it will always be the same. Some things, Time just cannot touch!