Of all the memories of my 25 years of life thus far, the moments spent with my now-92-year-old grandmother have by far been some of my most treasured and precious memories. Now that we live in different cities, I miss her every single day.
What I love about my grandmother is the humility, kindness, and calm with which she lives her life. She respects others, laughs often, and has an infinite array of stories to tell. Listening to her talk is one of my most favorite things to do.
Visiting Kimochi Home was a very poignant experience for me. It was like walking into a room full of grandmothers – each with a different life story and experience to share. I felt a deep joy rising up from my belly and radiating from my heart as I absorbed their kindness, radiance, and love.
We did a simple workshop with colorful red, green, yellow, and blue cards, black calligraphy ink, and cut origami paper. The results were elegant and beautiful. They make handwritten calligraphy look so easy! After we crafted for a while, Ayana (one of my fellow J-Tells) led all of us – young & old – in a stretching exercise and movement.
Taking care not to photograph their faces, I took a lot of photographs of their hands. It's interesting to me how hands are legible to some extent – they can tell us a story and they can show us time's visible mark.
Written with love,
Marissa, J-Tell
p.s. One of the ladies present at our day was 111 years old!!! I believe that's what you call a Supercentenarian... Wow!
Photos by yours truly, Marissa! :) Always keeping my eye out for moments of love.
