It’s been five months since we visited my grandma. I am just waiting for spring to come to get her some tulips and lilac – her favorite flowers. I think Dzintra (that’s her name) doesn’t mind that we haven’t been around for a while. On some colder nights, when I miss her more, I just put on her blouse and go to sleep. Sometimes I open her “jewellery” box – where I find her telephone book, a card with a prayer, her glasses, lipstick and Anais Anais perfume. She passed away almost 15 years ago, and since then I am a frequent guest in cemetery, though I can’t say I was not before.
Dzintra used to take me there quite often when I was a child, because she was taking care of her husband’s grave. It was always fun… I remember hot summer days, laughing with her, having a picnic on the stone bench, while watching her making beautiful ornaments with a rake on the sandy ground. I love cemetery. I am never afraid of it. It makes me feel good to be true. I like the old grannies passing by – we exchange smiles sometime and I think they like me there, because of our age difference it gives them hope. A hope that there is someone younger who will take care of them…
But you know, I don’t go there alone any more. Since my kids were born – we go there together. We speak, we remember, we laugh, they run and dance in the fallen leaves sometimes. I let them choose the flowers usually and water pump is their favorite toy. That’s how we keep together. That’s how we cherish and love.
Last time we were there was a beautiful day, and I took my Zenit film camera with me and captured the very special moments.
Photo: BINDEMANE aka kidsgazette shot on film/Zenit