Wednesday 5 November 2008

Remember Remember the 5th of November

A moving, powerful, emotional day. Dad took Sam to nursery and while he was out I sat down and watched Obama, "Yes we can". Wow. Look what happened! A miracle.
This week is reading week and I have no lectures today but I do have a pressing engagement with the kitchen. It's time to clean and tidy it properly- with no Sam-juggling. And so my own emotional, moving and powerful day unfolded as I listened to the radio telling the story of the new US President Elect, Barack Obama, from so many different people's and peoples' perspectives.
I started to clean and tidy the kitchen, for the first time proper since my Mum died. Letting go of small and everyday things which still hold her energy. If you grew up with a mum who baked and cooked, who would make pastry and give you a piece to play with while she made a steak and kidney pie or a treacle tart. Or you watched her make a lemon meringue pie, or bake a cake. You argued over whose turn it was to lick the spoon or have 'first dibs' on the bowl with the remains of the cake mix in it. How hard do you think it is then to let go of that old mixer, that spoon and all those tangible objects which bound and bind the story of your family together. Today I made a start. I had my own "Yes I can" moment.

1 comment:

  1. Good for you and I can appreciate how hard and humbling it is to do such a thing. My mother is still alive thank God but when my nan died her kitchen - usually a place of such vitality and life - seemed to drab and empty without her. It's still painful to be there without her.

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