Odeta and Odina

At the garden stool where I am sitting, with flowers around and venerating a flower that has just started to bloom, I watch Odeta and Odina playing in the yard. The sun is warm on my face, but the real warmth comes from the beautiful laughters of those two girls.

Odeta, with her wild curls and even wilder spirit, her eyes shinning with that marvelous spark I know so well. She’s always been the adventurous one, leading the way in their games, her imagination running as freely as it gets. I can’t help but smile as I watch her, so much like her mother was at that age.

Odina, quieter but no less joyful, follows her sister closely. I see the way she watches out for Odeta, making sure she’s always just a step behind, ready to catch her if she falls. She fixes her dress and I can’t help but smile at that small gesture of love, the way Odina always thinks of her sister first.

I follow them play in circles, their hands all mud, their faces lit up with pure joy. I feel a glimpse of pride, as I am present to feel this. Those two girls, they’re my world. They remind me that everything is okay. I know it’ll be time to call them in soon. But for now, I let them be, lying side by side on the grass, holding hands with each other. I can see the peaceful expressions on their faces, and I think to myself that these are the moments I’ll carry with me always.

I stand up slowly, feeling the familiar ache in my legs, but the way Odeta and Odina look at me makes it all feel lighter somehow. As a grandfather, it feels so soft on me to accept so much love from them. I’ll give them just a few more minutes before dinner, letting them simply be in the simple joy of being together, of being young and free. Because these moments they’re the ones that matter most, and I’m grateful to be here, to witness the love between them, to see the light in their eyes.

It is beautiful to remind myself, this moment right here, right now will be a core memory of them and I don’t want it to ever end.

As I walk towards them, I think, this is what life is all about. This is what makes life so sweet.