Thursday, April 18, 2013

Expressions of Impressions

I don't know why it took me so long to post again. Some days, I want to forget this blog exists. According to medicine, denial is supposed to be the first of seven stages of grief. Most days, I do not believe I will ever get past denial. Denial is very under-rated, if you ask me; it can make lies seem true, it can let you live in a dream when in a nightmare, it can be your sole pillar of relief on a stormy day though this pillar maybe made of sand and it's just a while before it is washed away. I know I have to do this post first, because after this post it is mainly going to be re-living memories. 

I wonder if I will marry someone who already knows me. And if not, I wonder how my husband will ever understand me completely. My expressions, my idiosyncrasies, my specific pronunciations, my impression of success and happiness; none of these can ever be understood completely unless you know where they originated from, unless you meet the reason for everything I am. I proudly say, at least 95% of my being is my mother (not genetically, of course); the rest 5% is struggling to be her. To my future husband - how will you ever know how much you missed out, because you will never get to meet the person who made me… me.

These excerpts are from condolence e-mails I received from my friends who knew her, not for very long, but loved every bit of the person they knew.

"I'm not sure how or where or when it happened but what I'm sure of is that she's definitely in a better place, and knowing her, very close to God. I'm lucky to have had the privilege of knowing her through you. You and your sisters are a beautiful reflection of her and her values..."

"It’s only when you lose someone that you begin to really think of how much you appreciate them no matter how small or large a role that person played in our lives. I still clearly remember her helping me before one of our dances... My conversations with her were always short, but always beneficial. Now when I think back, there hasn't been a single conversation that I've had with your mom in which I haven't heard something that wasn't useful to me. She was one of those rare 'no-nonsense' people with whom I always liked to talk. She was also one of the nicest people I knew…"

"My mother always believed that your mother was one of the wisest people that she has interacted with in her life. She would sometimes tell me - "Do you know why they do so well? It’s only partially because of their own caliber, but it's mostly because of Sujatha's strength as a person."

Words can never describe the person my mother was. She was not perfect; telling she was would be something people who did not know her well would say now; but her imperfections were and always will remain perfect for me.

I only wish I could make my future meet you because without that, it just does not seem complete; I selfishly say it is not fair. This loss is one that can never be repaid and hence I choose to remain in denial, on most days.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Let this be a beginning and not an end

This blog is dedicated to Mrs Sujatha Sasankan, who peacefully passed away in her sleep on the fateful morning of 24th November 2012. What we, her family, have learnt from this harsh experience is: Nothing kicks sorrow's ass better than sharing good, old memories.

In the beginning, the sharing was just between us, then relatives and friends joined in, and now we have decided to let the whole world know this beautiful person. So with our rusty writing skills, here we are, writing about the memories she has left us with.

We know everyone has enough sorrow in their lives; nobody likes listening to someone else's sob stories, let alone having time to read them (unless you are a sadist, of course). Hence, you will be relieved to know this shall not be a morose, depressing, "Why me, God?" blog. Once in a while, however, we expect the dam to break open and the posts to get depressing - this may be a source of comfort for the sadists. But we shall try our very best not to entertain sadists and keep the blog filled with happy memories - unless specifically requested!

Without much ado and sparing you my disgraceful sense of humor, I have decided to stop now.
Here's to hoping that this is a beautiful beginning that has stemmed from an untimely end.