04/23/2021
This is my belated Babushka Era. She was the strongest person I’ve ever known with a heart of pure love. As the days pass, I’m amazed to see more and more of her in my self. I’m finding I’m slowly growing into her and am loving myself more and more as I’m reminded of the love she had for me and because of this, I am now able to hold this space for myself. Not a day goes by where I don’t think about her. She was a serious person but she also knew how to wiggle her ears (literally, using nothing but her mind). We both got sucked into the ridiculous world of Russian Telenovellas. I’d take a break from my young adult shenanigans to rush home to her to watch an episode of the cheesy RRT programming. We’d chow down on a bowl Pelmeni she made from scratch earlier in the day (actually, she always had bags of them in the freezer ready to go at the first tang of a craving). The nights I’d come home late from work, she was ready with more delicious homemade food and a recap of all that I missed, both in the sappy soaps, and her day at large. I miss her cooking... she always cooked in such a way, you knew you were loved and cherished. This month, would have been her birthday. To celebrate and honor her memory, my hubby Mark Zabala surprised me with this uncanny valley rendition of this gorgeous woman, whose light will for ever live in our hearts.
