Friday, January 20, 2006

Housework


It´s Friday, my day off work, cleaning day and I am listening to the wonderful hypnotic sounds of the washing machine and the dishwasher. Soon the steam iron will join in the music before the vacuum cleaner has it´s solo performance. I will have the Friday favourite vegetable soup cooking on the stove by 11am and that old familiar smell of liebstoeckl will fill the air and there they´ll be again, the memories of my Grandmother.
She was amazing! A wonderful mother and wife and a perfect housekeeper although...she was blind. She lost her eyesight when she was young but it didn´t stop her from having 4 children and mastering life in such a positive way. She lived through war, poverty and all the hardships involved with not being able to see but she never dwelled on the negative sides of life, she was generous and found happiness in the smallest of things. Like eating vegetable soup with liebstoeckl cooked on a wood stove, eating a sweet apple on her favourite bench at the bedroom window where she could feel the sun on her face in the afternoon, listening to her favourite radio programme and spending time with other people who also liked to laugh and have a chinwag. She liked to be organised so it was very important for her not to have any unnecessary objects around so that she had important things at hand when she needed them. I can see her in my mind´s eye, touching things to feel and appreciate the texture and listening closely when someone knocked on her door and walked into her home - she recognised most people by the sound of their feet. I must try to be more like she was - live in the moment, keep my life and my home simple, surround myself with beautiful, usefull things and find happiness in small pleasures. I miss you oma!

6 comments:

Kali said...

Thanks for sharing your memories of your much loved and missed Grandmother. I adored mine too, and miss her so much at times it hurts. I aspire to be like her in so many ways too...
Lovely post.

Jamie said...

What a beautiful tribute to your Oma. She sounds like a great inspiration and a wonderful woman.

I so enjoyed the way you described cleaning day. It doesn't sound like a chore. It sounds peaceful and inviting. I'm going to try and share that perspective.

And I'm so curious - what's liebstoeckl?

Kerri said...

I read all your posts and enjoyed them very much. Very creative writing, pictures and ideas....and I love your positive attitude. Your love of family is evident. I do wish you luck with getting organized and motivated...we all need that :)

liz elayne lamoreux said...

after you left your kind comment on my blog this evening, i went through your archives to find this post. beautiful. she sounds like an incredible woman. thank you for understanding what it feels like to miss someone.

Anonymous said...

Above, you had a question about Liebstoeckl. Liebstoeckl is a leafy herb that has a flavor similar but different to that of celery. It is wonderful in soups and herbs.

Anonymous said...

...oops, meant soups and stews.