The cool wind breezing through the window ruffled my hair and gently pushed it onto my face. I smiled, my eyes remained closed, as a couple of cool fingers touched my skin and lovingly brushed the hair off my face. I half-opened my eyes to look at them. The touch of the weak, wrinkled fingers seemed like the best thing in the world, for me, at that moment.
It was raining cats and dogs, outside. The streets were filled with water and the trees were swaying, as if dancing with merriment over the onset of monsoons. I opened my eyes and started bursting the little glistening water bubbles that formed on the window grills, listening to her soothing voice going on in its usual sing-a-song manner, as her fingers continued running through my hair. "...and then," she said, "you fell down and cried the whole day. I had to hit the floor so hard that there were cracks in the tiles and only then did you stop crying." She laughed and I looked up at her face; her toothless laughter seemed like the purest and the snow-white hair flying in all directions possible seemed the most beautiful thing in the world, for me, at that moment. I listened to her soothing voice, my head in her lap, as she went on narrating little stories about my childhood, as if they were the best things she'd ever seen.
"Is this what heaven is like?" I wondered. This woman had seen so much in her life, faced hurdles, fell down again and again, got hurt, yet, every time, she got up and fearlessly continued her journey of life.
Here she is, in the last phase of her life, full of wisdom, heart hardened with all kinds of experiences.
Yet, here she is, a little child bubbling with joy and enthusiasm unlimited, as she reveled in her memories of my childhood.
Feeding me, narrating stories of kings and queens to me, cradling my head in her laps, relaxing with me are the things that she enjoyed the most.
I was lost in my thoughts and then gradually dozed off into a light sleep right there in her lap and occasionally in my sleep, listening to her still going on and on about the first time she had fed me baby food or laughing at the silly jokes that I had cracked back then...
Inspired from my Grandmother, my friend, philosopher and guide, the best grandmother in the world!
It was raining cats and dogs, outside. The streets were filled with water and the trees were swaying, as if dancing with merriment over the onset of monsoons. I opened my eyes and started bursting the little glistening water bubbles that formed on the window grills, listening to her soothing voice going on in its usual sing-a-song manner, as her fingers continued running through my hair. "...and then," she said, "you fell down and cried the whole day. I had to hit the floor so hard that there were cracks in the tiles and only then did you stop crying." She laughed and I looked up at her face; her toothless laughter seemed like the purest and the snow-white hair flying in all directions possible seemed the most beautiful thing in the world, for me, at that moment. I listened to her soothing voice, my head in her lap, as she went on narrating little stories about my childhood, as if they were the best things she'd ever seen.
"Is this what heaven is like?" I wondered. This woman had seen so much in her life, faced hurdles, fell down again and again, got hurt, yet, every time, she got up and fearlessly continued her journey of life.
Here she is, in the last phase of her life, full of wisdom, heart hardened with all kinds of experiences.
Yet, here she is, a little child bubbling with joy and enthusiasm unlimited, as she reveled in her memories of my childhood.
Feeding me, narrating stories of kings and queens to me, cradling my head in her laps, relaxing with me are the things that she enjoyed the most.
I was lost in my thoughts and then gradually dozed off into a light sleep right there in her lap and occasionally in my sleep, listening to her still going on and on about the first time she had fed me baby food or laughing at the silly jokes that I had cracked back then...
Inspired from my Grandmother, my friend, philosopher and guide, the best grandmother in the world!
