Oma's Memories

Today is Oma's (Grandma) birthday.

Since the girls are opening their advents calendar, they know what day it is (the 21st); and because we wanted them to remember, we told them that it is also Oma's birthday.

We dont want them to forget. They know that Oma is already in heaven; and when Opa died last month, we realized that they are now old enough to understand loosing someone.

But what surprised us is that they have the intense need to take souveniers; to preserve memories; to remember.

Take for instance our Christmas tree, they are full of Oma and Opa's Christmas items.

And almost daily, there is a mention of Oma.

Every time they ask me to spread butter on their bread, they would always tell me that Oma does it perfectly -- Oma tends to use more butter. The butter would be thick and you wont see any bread corners!

After eating fruits, they would remind me that Oma always said it is bad to drink something or else they would have a stomachache.

They love using Oma's pink and lila apron when helping in the kitchen, it made them feel better, (unfortunately, made them know better than me!) with the household.

Once every week, they demand to have Oma's Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce with 'Krakale' on top. 'Krakale' is homemade croutons. It is a good thing I asked Oma to teach me how to do it way, way before. It has always been a favorite but we havent written down the recipe, we had to memorize it.

Christmas time is always baking time with Oma. One thing we dont miss baking is 'buttergebackenes' (butter cookies); this time, we had to search the internet for the recipe. The recipe from Oma is still in one of the boxes, somewhere.

Oh, the girls have kept the bottle of perfumes they found in Oma's house. They spray them on sometimes because they wanted to smell like Oma. They remember how Oma loves to give them a quick spray once in while during visits.

What about Oma's clothes and shoes? Of course, they have kept one or two of them, too. They want to look so elegant like Oma, they said. Oma loves to dress up and she dont miss her weekly salon visits; the girls are simply fascinated! Some of Oma's accessories and knick-knacks they have kept as souvenirs, too.

Although Oma's in heaven, her memories live. And the girls savor them with glee.

Happy Birthday, dear Oma!