So there you are organising your boy's 9th Birthday party and WHAM, something you have actually been organising for many many months in parallel just "happens" which kind of takes your breath away to be honest.
Both sets of Mum's and my brother will know what I mean here when I say it has been a painful experience to make this happen. Back and forth from here in Singapore to stonemasons in UK, trying to explain that them being so "slack" is really bad as we're not ordering a pair of shoes here and that so much love, thought and meaning is associated with this. Finally though it is done and I thank my Mum, Naoko's Mum, my Nan and my Brother for all the help and support and of course now for these wonderful pictures.
A lot of you were there for the internment which anyone can see in previous blog postings, which again was "designed" as a celebration of Nina and the wonderful friends and family she has around the Globe. To say goodbye, maybe, but that being a year after nearly I think we already had done that and still do to this day.
It's really a strange one for me this, as even this is not a finality of Nina/Naoko, but it is a further rememberance of the truly wonderful wife, mother, daughter and friend that she was. Not to say OK that's it she is gone as there is now a lump of stone there, but to have something to "see" and something to visit if you wish and say hello to our dear darling Nina. I tossed and turned with this one as I was planning this memorial, is it fitting for her and to be honest nothing could compete with her just being back with us, but I hope that this gives us something we can all continue to relate to and visit and pay our respects and send our love to.
The words say it all on the stone. We love and miss you desperately.
All my love as always Brian
I know Bri, the solid rock appears so cold and silent, I find it hard to personalize my thoughts on my sister's life through it; there's that unsettled feeling of 'this isn't all that she was at all'. Nevertheless you say it beautifully, the stone is there for us as an anchor to keep all of us who loved Nina connected. Of course nothing compares to just having her back although I personally still fantasize that option every day. But at least we now have a location, a landmark dedicated to keeping us in check as we grow and live on while we continue to miss her desperately. And how lovely it is, that she is visited by her (UK) Mum, brother and Nan - it makes me cry to see Nan gently put her hand on the rock, this absolutely makes up for the fact that our grandma in Tokyo could not be there, but would have done the same if she could. Love Haruchan
ReplyDeleteThanks Haruchan, such a lovely lovely message my love.
ReplyDeleteLove you, Bri xxx