Oma

Well, I’m in my new apartment and, if you have Facebook, then you’ve seen the pictures. Only a few people have been over here – the wonderful people who helped me move in, my mom, and my neighbor upstairs.

It’s quite something to, once again, pack up all my belongings and then unpack them. I see things that I haven’t seen in a long time – old trinkets and blankets that were in the back of a closet. I came across some jewelry that I forgot that I had too, which was a nice surprise.

One of the things that I found was an old necklace that my Oma gave me. (Oma is German or Dutch for “Grandma.”) My Oma, who was my great-grandmother, was part of a Garden Club and it was her Garden Club necklace that I found attached to her silver chain. She gave it to me years and years ago – I asked her if I could borrow it and, instead, she gave it to me. I do things like that with some of my precious things too. I had a couple porcelain figurines that I set aside for my nieces because I thought they’d like them and, of course, because I love my nieces so much. I wanted to give them something that meant something to me so they’d know that they mean something special to me.

The last time I visited my Dad’s mom in Texas she gave me this beautiful onyx ring. It had been her mothers and she said that everyone else’s fingers were too big, she wanted me to have it. After she passed away, I got a few more of her things, but that ring that she gave me, of course, holds the most value because it was something she selected just for me and gave to me as a gift.

My Oma had given me her special Garden Club necklace. She also gave me this little nick-knack cabinet that she used to have hanging in her kitchen. I now keep all my cookie decorations and sugar sprinkles in there. It’s in my kitchen right now, as a matter of fact.

I have some of Oma’s linens and some of Grandma’s linens. As I unpacked all my boxes, I couldn’t help but think of Oma and Grandma’s homes – Oma’s especially. She had perfect, elegant taste. Nothing she had was overly shiney or fancy, but it was all so specially placed and carefully handled that it became special.

I was talking with my Mom about Oma’s kitchen. I remember how she laid her kitchen towels on the counter as she washed dishes and the way she had all her pretty coffee mugs hanging on a wall. I remember her yellow, plastic chairs and the table that made the kitchen seem more cozy than crowded. I remember sitting on those plastic chairs watching her make pea soup and thinking, “Ughhh, that looks awful!” and then being delightfully surprised when it tasted like heaven.

She taught me how to make applesauce when I was 9 years old. I never knew someone could make applesauce! I thought it just came in jars! She served it warm with tons of cinnamon and topped it with Cool-Whip. Mmmmm. My mouth waters now just thinking about it.

Everything about Oma was cozy and comfortable while being valuable and rare. How many women do you know that getproperly dressed for tea every single day – even if no one special is coming for tea? I remember her thigh-high panty hose and her red and white dress… and her white sweater… and how she always smelled sweet and old. I loved her smell.

I loved that she took time to teach me how to make tea, how to understand poetry, and how to sing. She had a beautiful voice. She taught me to sing Silent Night in Dutch and, when she had Alzheimer’s disease, I sang it to her every single night before bed. Sometimes she’d sing with me.

She inspired my mother, and she inspires me, to keep a happy and warm home. She was the epitome of a gracious and loving hostess. She taught us how to make proper tea and how to hang our aprons in the kitchen. She embodied grace and dignity.

I miss her. I am so glad that I have some of the things that she loved… she called them, “little treasures” (she called me a “little treasure” too, and Satcha, which is – I think – Indonesian for “Sarah”). As I unpacked all my dishes and coffee mugs, and tried to think how everything should be arranged, I thought of Oma. How would Oma put this kitchen together to make it warm and welcoming? How would she set up the living room? What would she put in her china cabinet?

I do miss her. I think I make her proud by cherishing what she cherished and by carrying on her traditions in my life. I always aspire to be the charming, elegant, graceful woman that she was.