a little time for them

this morning we went to the cheras christian cemetery to say hello to some of our departed loved ones. my hubsterman wanted to go coz it was his late grandpa's birthday a few days ago.

there were quite a number of people there visiting their loved ones too, comparatively to the other times that we went where there barely was anyone else around (saved for all souls' day and christmas, of course).

we first stopped by at my grandfather's. i was his favourite grandchild. he's very creative and when i was young he used to make little drawings of me in my many childhood moments on small pieces of cardboard (he was a lampshade and rattan goods maker). these drawings depict me in happy, as well as sad or annoyed times of my childhood in his shop. perhaps one day i'll scan and post them here.

then we moved on to my grandma and aunts' (both my aunts share a grave, my uncle's wife who was cremated and buried with my little aunt joan). their graves were separated by a little english girl's who died when she was still very young. their graves are framed by two frangipani trees which forever rain down beautiful white flowers on them. i've never met my grandma or my aunt joan. my grandma passed on when my mom was still a young girl, and my aunt joan never made it to her first birthday. my uncle's very petite late wife drowned when she was trying to save my cousin jason who could barely swim (she could barely swim herself) in a clubhouse pool. where were the lifeguards? dunno. not there.

next was great-granny juliet's grave. after my grandma died, my mom was taken care of by my great-granny. i've never met her as well, she died before i was born. she was a nyonya lady who wears kebayas and sarong. my dad loved her to bits as well. i've always enjoyed the stories they tell me of great-granny juliet.

my husband's grandfather passed away in the ripe old age of 90 some years back. they used to call him grandpa "who". in his later years, he was hard of hearing and he'll ask "who??" as to acertain who was talking to him at that time. there was once when my brother-in-law joshua came home at night(grandpa was staying with them) and called for grandpa to open the gate. grandpa peered out the doorway and ask, "who?" my brother-in-law replied, "joshua". grandpa said, "oh, joshua's not in" and he closed the door!

my hubsterman's grandpa was the last of our combined clan that we visited in cheras christian cemetery. everyone of them had some stories i could share with you, everyone of them lived on, either in the memories we carry in our hearts or in the tales that we very so often hear in our families' stories.

lit some candles, placed some flowers and spent a lil time with them.