Exactly One Year

One year ago today my Oma went to be with Jesus. "Oma" is German for "Grandmother". In some ways, a year seems like a very long time. So much has happened since I hugged Oma last. I found out I was pregnant, and gave birth to beautiful Emma. Oh, how Oma would love to kiss her soft, full cheeks. The boys joined their first soccer team, and Hannah went to her first homeschool ball. The kids went to camp, and our family did some traveling. We joined a new church and bought a new van. Yes, so much can happen in a year. And yet, in so many other ways, it seems like only yesterday that I had the luxury of writing her a letter, sending her a photo, or calling her on the phone. Luxuries that I now of course wish I would have taken advantage of far more often. I still get the urge to call her to ask about a recipe or tell her something cute that the kids said, and I still get an empty ache when I remember that I can't.

Oma was a kind and gentle woman. Her father was a bricklayer, and he built the house where my Oma was raised. When Oma married Opa, they raised their own family in that same house. It had less than 1,000 square feet, but every inch was filled with love. It had a teeny, tiny kitchen where HUGE meals were prepared. Oma was famous for her egg pancakes, german potato salad, and delicate sugar cookies. The pretty kind with colored sprinkles. She loved cooking and baking more than anything, and she blessed her family and friends daily with her delicious delicacies.

I was very spoiled by my Oma. When I visited her house I would get backrubs in the morning. There were always cookies in the cookie jar, candies in the candy dish, and scented bubble bath for the tub. We always ate off the good dishes, and slept on the fine linens, and were allowed to eat our dessert in the living room. Oma knew how to make everyone feel special. When I was young, there were always toys and coloring books in the back bedroom. There was a jar of seashells on the sun porch that I loved to play with. Oma had two china dolls in her bedroom and an extensive collection of beautiful figurines called Hummels. She would let me hold her treasured breakables and admire them, and never, ever remind me not to drop them.

Some people might say that my Oma raised her family in "simpler times". Oma knew the value of hard work, the integrity of keeping her word, the blessing of serving others, and the joy of home cooked food. If those things were so simple, perhaps they would be more prevalent in our culture today. Oma lived by example, and I'm thankful for all I learned from her. She taught me a lot about what really matters in life. I wish I could tell her, just one more time, how very much I loved her.

Hannah needs to take a snack to share with her Worldview class tomorrow. I'm making the sugar cookies with colored sprinkles. :)