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Sunday, May 14, 2006

An Ode to Grandma

Every time I think of my grandma, I remember this old lady with the fair complexion, wrinkled face and gray hair, sitting on the sofa at my parents’ place. My grandmother was diagnosed Alzheimer almost 10 years ago. Alzheimer is said to be the disease that steals the patient’s memories and send him back to his/hers infancy. However, in my opinion, this disease does not steal only the memories of the patient but the memories of the people surrounding him as well.
Today, I thought about that and I decided to fight the memory-thief and to try recalling my lovely granny that was there 10 years ago, not the one who wets her bed and waits for someone to spoon-feed her.

My grandma is my mum’s mother. She used to live with my uncle at his place and she is the one who raised-up my cousins and I. My mum used to go to her work early in the morning and drop me at my uncle’s for my granny to baby-sit me. I was my grandmother’s sweetheart; she used to love me more than any other grandchild in the family. She had a tiny figure, about 155cm tall, she used to wear a formal outfit (a jacket and a skirt) and till the very last minute before losing her conscience she insisted on wearing 3cm heals:)
I can’t forget her sitting on the couch, allowing me to comb her and put my tiny hair-pins in her hair. She used to laugh all the time, I never, saw her sad, although she had the entire world’s burden on her shoulders, yet she never complained.
I still see my mother and I coming back home and going to the kitchen to find -to our surprise- that granny has been there. She came while we were away, opened the door with the copy of the keys she have and left us a couple of cooked meals which she knew that we love them and mum as being a working woman doesn’t have enough time to cook them. I still recall myself tiptoeing to reach the pot and see what’s inside it and scream of joy to see the stuffed vine-leaves arranged in organized circles in the pot:)

Before one of my birthdays, she knew that I wanted a dressing-table toy. It was quite expensive and my mum told granny not to buy it and granny said that she won’t. On my birthday, I found her knocking at the door and when I opened… oh my God, I can’t forget this moment no matter how long shall I live. I still remember it as if it was yesterday although I was almost 8 years old. I saw grandma at the door holding a big box in her hand and by the first look; I could guess what was inside it.
In the box, there was a fairly big pink dressing table with drawers full of fake makeup and hair-rolls. The mirror was hidden behind pink shutters and there was also a tiny comb and a tiny brush. It was the best birthday gift I got ever. I still remember my voice asking my grandma “why did you buy it granny? You said it is very expensive!” and she replies “nothing is expensive for my sweetheart, el’3aly yer’7aslek”:) She was the sweetest person that ever lived.

Oh my God, look at her now. She doesn’t recognize any of us, absolutely nobody at all. She can’t walk, she can’t talk, she can’t feed herself… simply, she is not here anymore.

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Dear Grandma,

I just wanted you to know how much I love you. Maybe, I can’t show you my love now, and even if I try you won’t feel it. I want you to know that when I look at you I see this old wrinkled face but I know that behind the wrinkles lay the biggest heart I ever saw.

From your granddaughter,
With love,

**********************

سأل رجل عبدالله بن عمر
أمي عجوز لا تقوى على الحراك وأصبحت أحملها إلى كل مكان حتى لتقضي حاجتها

.. وأحياناً لا تملك نفسها وتقضيها علي وأنا أحملها .. أتراني قد أديت

حقها ؟ ... فأجابه ابن عمر: ولا بطلقة واحدة حين ولادتك ... تفعل هذا

وتتمنى لها الموت حتى ترتاح أنت وكنت تفعلها وأنت صغير وكانت تتمنى

لك الحياة

Posted by Wonderer :: 8:59 PM :: 17 comments