Today was my Omas funeral. I could follow the crowd and say something generic like R.I.P. Grandma, or Youll be missed., but quite frankly, it doesnt do any justice to the unbelievable power this woman exhibited every breathing moment of her life; and, as usual, Im a writer, I cant allow such shallowness to touch the purity of her memory. I havent met many people throughout my life, comparatively, but from those I have met, I have never, and I mean *never*, met a person quite as unbelievably self-less as Oma. As much as words are the brush or the instrument to creating artistic matter through description and detail, they just seem unable to capture the essence of her goodness; it was, by all respects, awe inspiring. You know the feeling when you look out upon a live landscape like the Grand Canyon for the first time? Imagine that feeling. but instead of looking at an incredible landscape for the first time, youre trying to figure out how in all this world it was possible for a person to be so gigantic, so powerful, so quietly humbling. If I were a knight, I would kneel in front of her as she was a queen appointed simply by her selflessness, never looking into her eyes knowing full well I could never amount to half of her selflessness -- ashamed. She was the type of person to never complain (again, I mean the word, *never* in its fullest, literal sense), and give her all to make others happy, but especially her family. The joy we exhibit at getting new toys, new technologies, new thrills, she would emanate at the very sight of her family. Imagine seeing someone every day and EVERY time you bloom joy at the sight of them, even if youve seen them for weeks and months without break. Do you understand the level of purity and goodness that takes? That is the quality that, to this day, completely fills my senses with overpowering, enthralling fascination and appreciation. She gave me so much, far too much, in fact, and I wish my intellect and maturity had been strong enough in my childish years to even begin appreciating the depth of that pool. Completely awe inspiring. For me to learn lessons from her is only scratching the surface of what I wish I could be in carrying on her depth in character. She went through her own horrific events during World War II, she pushed through a stroke, she was sharp as a tack, an unbelievable cook (German food x 10), and almost defeated a brain aneurysm at the age of 91. Those are a few highlighted moments of her immense strength and resilience. She touched so many lives, the entire neighborhood and people across Germany came to see her funeral who hadnt seen her in decades, if that says anything. I could go on, I really could, for hours and hours, but I will say this: If you have met my mother, Gabriele Verhoeven, you have met a piece of my Oma. I am unbelievably grateful that such an incredible person has left a mark on her daughter, an equally incredible person by her own respects. Im not much of the spiritual, but Plato discusses the need for full, incorruptible, pure models to create imperfect clones on this Earth, and it very much makes me doubt that my Oma could have been one of those corruptible clones, but rather, the very real, pure model of selflessness gracing our presence for just a few days shy of 92 years. God certainly came so close to perfection that day, even He thought hed created an angel. The power of selflessness and sacrifice is embodied and enclosed in the actions of that incredibly awe inspiring woman. I will forever thank her for what impact she has made upon my being. Forever grateful, forever remembering, and forever loving, Nicolas Dean Verhoeven
Posted on: Tue, 08 Oct 2013 23:28:21 +0000
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