My Babushka (Galina Sergeyevna Malysheva) passed away on January 12th, 2024 at 00:50am. The last thing she wanted to eat were grapes and plums. She was 83 years old and would have turned 84 on February 20th. She lived an amazingly long and healthy life filled with memories of friends, family, and of course a bit of war.
My youngest memory with her is from when we lived in St. Petersburg on prospekt svetlanovsky. She was helping me draw. Instead of using paper to draw, she put out an entire roll of wall-paper and flipped it around for me on the floor. It would unroll on our carpet and I would crawl all over the wall-paper and draw anywhere I wanted. It felt so free and safe. She always knew how to make a welcoming and safe environment.
No matter what activities we did together, I always remember them as being happy. Lots of laughter, playing, and enjoying myself. She taught me how to garden. For as long as I can remember she would grow vegetables and fruit anywhere and in anything. She would then make jams, preserves, pickled vegetables, spreads, etc from the things that she grew. On the farm, we had rows and rows of strawberries that I loved to de-weed. Pulling weeds and creating very clean and organized rows was fun for me, even as a kid.
There was so much freedom on our property. There was a swing that my grandpa built using a bus seat. There was a blow up pool, and a table to draw or play on. My grandpa and I would spend evenings together watching the storms roll in. We loved to sit and watch the lighting and the rain. Grandma would always worry about us and call us to sit inside, but grandpa and I liked to watch the storms from the open porch. It was more fun that way.
We had a cat, Masha. She would come in after the rain had already started because she would be roaming around somewhere, probably causing trouble. She would run into the house soaking wet, grandma would warm her up in a blanket and hold her to dry. These summer nights at the dacha are some of my favorite memories from my childhood.
Grandma and I spent a lot of time gardening, learning about vegetables, going into the forrest for mushrooms/berries, playing with the neighborhood friends, but mostly just being outside as much as possible. Grandma loved to go on walks with me. We had to walk a lot of places in general because we didn't have a car, but we truly enjoyed our walks together.
Grandma taught me at a very young age that we never laugh or make fun of people for any reason. She taught me about respecting our parents and respecting all veterans. She instilled in me that loving someone as they are is the most precious, invaluable thing. She preached that people are going to be the way they are and we can never change that. She taught me the importance of accepting people as they are and making that my biggest strength. Her motto in life was always the notion that the way we respond to things, the way we talk about people when they aren't around, and the way we think when no one else is in our head, that's what makes us stronger.
She was also one of the kindest people and had a fantastic memory when it mattered most. She also gave herself so much grace it was a lesson in itself. Every conversation with Grandma started with a sweet greeting, felt positive, good, healthy, and ended on a very sweet goodbye. When she would forget something she would say, "Babushka's memory isn't what it use to be." This was such a strong statement and I'm not sure if she ever knew how strong and self-compassionate she really was. If I gave her a compliment or thanked her for something she taught me her response would be, "You know that Grandma loves you." This really stands out to me now as I look back on our conversations. She continued to instill her love and that all her acts were acts of love.
The story of my grandma is so beautiful that there aren't enough words in the english language to put it together.
She was always so proud of me. She was proud, and happy for me. I don't think she ever really knew what I did for a living, but she knew that I enjoyed it and it was giving me a fulfilling life. I will continue to live a life that she would be so proud of. I will continue to create memories that are rooted in my passion for trying new things. I will do my best to be as kind and as loving as my grandma was and use everything she taught me to let her shine bright through me and give her soul life.
Her biggest wish for me was to be happy.
댓글