Omi.

Grief. It affects people in all different ways. Sometimes we express it through tears that seem like they may never stop. Other times it's somber. A quiet waiting. Often it's a combination of both, coming in waves. We cry. We stop. We wait. Wait for time to lessen the sadness and hurt that we feel.

Late last week our world lost a remarkable woman. A woman so full of life and love it was palpable in her presence. Chad's Oma. My Oma. Our Omi.
 

My heart is heavy and tears flow. I know it's not the end, but the separation hurts. I selfishly keep thinking, 3 weeks. We would have been with her in 3 weeks.

But she fought a good fight and it was time for her to go home. Time for her body to be free of pain and time for her to be reunited with loved ones passed before her.

 "In a beautiful blue lagoon on a clear day, a fine ship

spreads its brilliant white canvas in the fresh morning 

breeze and sails out to the open sea. We watch her

glide away magnificently through the deep blue ocean

and gradually see her grow smaller as she nears the 

horizon. Finally, where the sea and sky meet, she slips

silently from sight; and someone near me says

"there, she is gone". Gone where? Gone from sight

 - that is all. 

She is still as large in mast and hull and sail, still

just as able to bear her load, and we can be sure that,

just as we say, "There she is gone!"

Another says, "Here she comes!"

I can only imagine her reunion with loved ones long past. I imagine her greeting them with vigour and have no doubt that whomever she is with, she is singing. Her great matriarchal voice calling to all, she is home.

"Life is eternal and love is immortal; and death is only an horizon,

and an horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight"

In the words of one of my favourite hymns, "God be with you till we meet again" Omi. Please give my baby girl a kiss from me and sing her my favourite lullaby. The lullaby you have sung and rocked all my babies to. We love you deeply and will miss you in every way!

The beautiful photo taken by Alana!

 

Little Sisters

Being one of seven girls in my family, the idea of having more than one daughter of my own, a little pair of sisters if you will, always made me feel incredibly excited.

After being raised in a household with that many girls, and going to boarding school and living with 100ish other girls for 2 years, I was under no illusion that having 'young ladies' is always a walk in the park :) or that my girls would always get along. 

But still, I imagined beautiful harmony with two sisters that would love each other more than anything else in the world. They would be best friends from the very beginning of their little lives..........

hahahaha! I can't help but laugh a little at this. Especially because I already knew. I knew that while my sisters and I are now the very best of friends, it wasn't always so growing up. And while I know my own daughters also love each other, there's not always perfect harmony between these two head strong girls of mine :)

As they both grow, I am pleasantly seeing small changes. There is more understanding and communication between them and the stretches of happy play are extended. There is more laughing and playing, and less hair pulling and crying ;). When I see them wrapped up in a world of "you're the mummy and I'm the baby" and I see them playing happily together, I could quite easily sing out loud, "la la la la laaaa". Actually sometimes I do, and it makes them laugh!

The picture below is something I see quite regularly. The two of them wondering around the house, and when Lily can't quite reach something she wants, Jasmin jumps down and tells her to stand on her back :)  Yes, my baby who is only an inch shorter than her big sister, and who weighs the same amount, uses her big sister as a stool.

It is a pleasure to watch these little sisters in cahoots with each other!