Jeepney Press :Mae Grace

aMAEzing GRACE : Celebrating Autumn in the Midst of This Pandemic

Mae Grace and her apos

Early Sunday morning, the door suddenly burst open and inside the house came little feet with little shoes and little adorable voices calling out, “Nona, we’re here!” “Oh, hey little ones! Come in here and let me give you a very tight hug.” I answered back. I then put on my mask as my two grandsons ran towards me and then turned around so I hugged them tightly from the back as I gently planted a kiss on top of their heads. This has been our ‘new normal’ kind of showing affection since this pandemic had turned our lives upside down early this year.

Mae Grace, writer

Limiting interactions in the home for our little visitors without becoming too overly cautious could be daunting to say the least. Little kids need to move, they need lots of hugs, they need to play outdoors and run with the wind! This is where my job as a teacher comes in handy. The house has a stock of crayons, watercolors and paints. We discovered that Aiko, the kids’ mom is actually the one who is very skillful at drawing! Her boys were wide eyed with glee! Wow! Doraemon! Mickey! Totoro! Mom can draw anything! Oftentimes, we would also do balloon art, and at times, they would help out in the kitchen by counting plates and identifying utensils. Outside in the veranda, they would water plants, blow soap bubbles and get crossed eyed from watching the caterpillars eat up the leaves too quickly. Who needs toys? Everything could be an interesting item to manipulate and learn from.

Then autumn came like a cool, refreshing breeze. Great grandma’s yard is the best place to go for fruit picking and running after her pet cats who used to be stray cats - a mother cat with her two little kittens. Here, in great grandma’s garden, the ‘apos’ have learned how to be gentle with other living creatures and at the same time, both our little boys developed love for nature, especially for those beautiful flowers and sweet fruit-bearing trees. You should see them eat mandarin oranges non-stop as if those oranges would disappear if they’d stop eating. They would collect colorful leaves and choose the best one for a present to give to Nono, their grand pop, when they get home.

Autumn is celebrated in Japan as the best time for the outdoors owing to its beauty, cool and relaxing climate and an ambience that whets the appetite (‘shokuyoku no aki’). But of course, the little ones learn that early on in life. We would walk with them in forest and nature trails and young as they are, they could walk for hours, too, while we talk endlessly about everything! They have come to love the leaves and observed how they change their color and fall from trees like beautiful confettis. Autumn warms the heart not only with its stunning colors and sceneries, but with heartwarming memories of family walks and autumn color hunting, of food and cooking which aftertaste work their way to the heart and soul of the beloved from the lover. Covid or not, life continues to be a celebration with our loved ones, everyday. Covid or not, autumn is here. Autumn is blessing! Autumn is thanksgiving! Autumn is love in its glorious hues and colors. Covid or not.