All her grandchildren remember her 'dried bread' - bread with butter and sugar, dried in the oven. Her dried bread was always ready, it was always the one she brought when visiting her grandchildren. Oma was someone who shows her love by giving food. When I lived with her, she always sat with me during lunch - just watching. Once I told her that it was not necessary, but her reply was that she enjoyed watching me eating - it was a pleasure to see that I liked the food.
Even though when I was little, I didn't like if my parents brought me to her place - because she always put plastic on my mattress.:p
During my stay there I also noticed that every afternoon she'd sit with her cash-flow book, sempoa, and money. She'd write down all expenses, count everything, and everything should match. She wouldn't finish before everything match.
She was also very good on crosswords - she wanted to train her brain. The result? Up till her end, she's still knows her grandchildren's name, one by one, without mistakes, even those that she hadn't met for years.
For several years, everytime we said good bye, she'd say, "It could be that we won't see each other again." In the beginning it was a question, why would she say that? But then I realised, it was her way of showing that she's ready if God calls her 'home'. Last year, before went back to NL, I teased her (I just wanted to see her reaction), before she had a chance to say those words, I first say: "Till next year, Oma." And she said, "Yes." This year, 10 days after I arrived, she went 'home'. She has kept her promised to me.
