Do you ever miss a time that you have not even seen?
I do.
When I got married my mother in law was not very well. She was on bed rest following an unsuccessful knee surgery leaving her movement very limited. As the years progressed her condition worsened physically and mentally. She started forgetting things and some days she would wake up in her past. She chose to live in glorious and happy days when the whole family lived under one roof. It was an escape from her sickness that was consuming her. She left us in 2012. Please recite dua for her ….
I used to feel that in her last years she did not even know who I was because my marriage was too new for her memory. It would break my heart on days I’d see no recognition in her eyes for me. But, her eyes would gleam with happiness when we talked about all the food she used to cook. My husband and sister in law would deliberately talk about her favourite dishes so that she’d laugh a little and participate in the conversation.
Her eyes sparkled and her mouth watered when she remembered how she cooked pea pods in tamarind sauce. Her love for cooking and food was so great that even when all her active memory had faded the recipes and the joy around cooking remained. The stories she told were all real and reliving them with her children every now and then bought her so much joy that I used to wish to be a part of it all. I still miss being in a time that I have only heard about.
We have very few photographs of her…. and in this particular one, we let her cook roti in our first apartment in an attempt to make her feel at home.
I am happy that my husband and his sisters share her love for cooking and hospitality. While I did not get to spend time with her but I get the warmth of her love in the food Mr. Foodie cooks.
We are sharing this love through our page Foodie & Mrs.
No comments:
Post a Comment