Oma passed away just a couple weeks after I met Evan. Since then, as we have been preparing to get married, we've talked a lot about what we would like our family to be like. To be honest, it hasn't taken a lot of research to know what I would like to be like as a wife and mother; all of my favorite examples come from my own family. There are a lot of things I would like to take from Oma's example.
Firstly, though I know that being a wife and mother were the most important things to her, she definitely continued to develop her own individuality and talents. Growing up, while other peoples grandmas were apparently baking cookies, Oma was always just getting back from or on her way to a show, a trip, some guild meeting, or something else. While I am pretty sure I will never sew anything more than a pillowcase, own a business, or merit a single award in my lifetime, I hope I can be a wife and mother who continues to explore her own talents and interests and brings those back to the home to share with my family.
Secondly, Oma was always in control - of her life, of her emotions, of her tongue, of her household, of her career, and amazingly, of her paperwork. I remember that Oma received our mail and paid our families bills while we lived overseas. She just had the ability to organize things in such a way that what was supposed to happen would happen and things just got done. This is an area that I could use a lot of improvement in. I am fairly confident that paperwork will never be my strong point, but if I can be generally on top of organization and cleanliness in my home and always speak in the kind tones that were Oma's, I will give myself a lifetime pass to terrible paperwork skills.
Thirdly, I love that Oma and Opa were such a team. Both artists, my grandparents were special. They were the perfect team. Oma and Opa's home was full of their artwork and little items they had picked up on their journey though life together. While they collaborated on only a few items of artwork, everything they hung appeared to go together seamlessly to me. Art is just one example to me of the way that Oma and Opa avidly honored one another. Opa was great in the garden - always bringing in yummy veggies for all of us to eat - and Oma made multiple quilts of gardens that hang on the walls of her daughters and grandchildren. I would like to be that kind of wife - one who learns about and cares about her husband’s interest and honors him in both word and deed.
I feel so thankful that I was blessed to have such a great Oma who has taught me so many things.
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