Saturday 20 January 2024

Honouring a life ....

Many here know the story of my parents, of their life long love & our life across Southern Africa with parents who were mindful of our strong personalities & desire to explore & just do. 

With the anniversary of my Father death again, my Mothers is in March, I thought I would share ways in which I try to keep their memory alive & to honour the lives they lived. 

In what ways do I honour them? Amongst others things, I …

* I take time to talk about them & share their story so it is not lost in time, so they live on

* I share their story & photos so it is remembered . My Mother was a great letter writer - her letters were filled with news, with clippings she thought I would enjoy, sometimes with a few tiny seeds, sometimes a guinea fowl feather she knew I loved, sometimes some new stamps or a postcard tucked in for the grand daughters. Perhaps I blog because of her story telling influence? 

* I continue traditions I learnt at home - the Advent calendars she bought at a specialist shop for my daughters long before they were common. It was a special trip to a continental shop on the other side of town, a sign of her Teutonic heritage slipping in. 

* I make foods that we had together & it reminds me of shared times. I still use my Mothers pancake recipe that she made regularly & often did scones in poor weather as it as a delight getting home on a cold day, knowing there would be hot scones as a treat. 

I continue the hobby of sewing that I learnt at my Mother & Grandmother's knee - a link to them. 

I repurposed items of their clothing & cloths to keep letters from them safe - a tangible link 

My Dad was always cautious & considered, my Mother more outgoing & feisty.  I have some of both but know that I am now more like my Father with a preference to quiet time.  

However, seeing your parents for who they were & understanding them, allows your to stop seeking what they weren't able to be. Inside every person you know is a person you don't know ... 

Life goes on & we must move forward with it, deciding what we want to carry forward & what should remain behind.  

They are not forgotten until there is no one left to remember, and when there is no one left to remember, we will all be together again. 

Thank you for  your visit, it is appreciated, 

Dee ❤️

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