I remember being very young, maybe three or four years old, and being on the country side with my great grandmother. It is the only memory I have of her and possibly the only time we were together.
The smell was delicious, the sun was nice and warm. And she was wearing black, leaning forward with a very curved back. As a little kid, it felt like she was curling forward to be closer to my height.
We were in her vineyard and we started picking up grapes. She had a lot of energy and was super quick dealing with the grapes and leaves, smoothly filling one basket after another. She tried to tell me how to do it: don’t pull the bunch of grapes but rather hold the stem tightly and then break it sharply so you free it up in your hand.
I never did it again but the memory stayed and it still provides comfort and warmth. Our baby boy is now the size of a bunch of grapes and is moving more and more. I like to believe that he is now interacting with us, with stimuli from the outside world.
I wonder which memories will we create and which ones will, for some random reason, stay with him forever. Will he remember those carefully crafted and prepared moments or something that we didn’t even notice was happening? Probably a bit of both. Will my husband and I ever notice these memories being created on the spot and realise that, long after we are gone, he will remember certain things as clearly as if they had just happened?
Will he be resourceful and able to rely on his own memories, thoughts, feelings and beliefs? Will he be resilient and take the most out of each moment and make the best decisions for his happiness?
It is a little bit crazy to want someone, who is not even born yet, to be so incredibly healthy, happy and strong and yet realise the impact and influence we will have in making it happen is quite limited, especially after the first few years.
At the same time, it feels quite empowering and fulfilling to be able to love my family so much, bringing sense and meaning to everything I do.
May I always be able to provide good memories and resources to make them stronger and happier.
