I stood over a table covered in family photos, looking through them, deciding what I was keeping, storing, letting go, and how to manage this large storehouse of memorabilia.
Then I came upon this photo.
A photo I don’t remember ever seeing before; a photo of my mother as a young woman with her arm through the arm of my grandmother, my father’s mother, standing under an apple tree. A feeling swept over me and the words: Remember Love.
I stopped, pulled up a chair, sat down and stared at the photo. I could feel my heart opening, opening, opening. Tears fell down my cheeks. I was awash in love and the remembrance of love.
I looked at the apple tree. Those burnished red almost purple apples. It must have been from our backyard. Yes, I think it was behind our house. I can see our backyard now. My mother – so full of spirit, love and humour – and that dress! She had great taste. My grandmother was strong, sweet and gentle and she died when I was young. I stared at my mother and grandmother. I could feel their sweetness, strength and love rise up in me.
My grandmother had taught me sign language when I was a child; not that I have any recall of it today. I had always felt my grandmother was my guardian angel, one of many guardian angels throughout my life.
Remember Love.
Remember Love.
I remember Love.
~ Christiane Schull
