A Face in the Mirror

Yesterday as I was getting my hair done, I looked in the mirror and saw a face I hadn't seen in a long long time. It kept on disappearing and coming back with a smile. It was faint at first, and then stronger, almost haunting, but delicious all the same. I saw my Grandmother looking back at me through the mirror.

I've always known that I looked like my mother, but never had I made the connection with my Grandma until I saw her smile, her cheekbones looking back at me. Naomi Ruth Revoir Robbins passed away on February 16, 2005 and I've missed her ever since. Especially at Christmas time. She always made homemade chocolates. Since my birthday is in December she would make me a special box of Cherry Chocolates all my own. She gave them to me in an old checkbook box. Twelve. I had twelve days of cherry chocolate bliss as I slowly ate each one. She also gave me a card with $5.00 in it and birthday wishes. Sometimes I would even get shampoo and towels, she always was the one for practical gifts.

Christmas time is for families and as ours grows bigger in some ways and smaller in others, I can't help but think of the "old times" we spent as kids. Christmas night was spent at Grandma's house with aunts and uncles and cousins. It's where we learned to play cards (I can't even remember learning how to shuffle, it just always seemed part of me) and eavesdropped on the grown-up conversations. They always had the most interesting ones. (My aunt worked at the school so she always knew what was happening with administration and the small town political scandals.) Grandma always met us at the door with a big hug and a lipstick kiss on the forehead or cheek. As Christmas approaches and I grow one year older, what I wouldn't give for one of those birthday cards with $5.00 and special Grandma birthday wishes.