 |
"Our dear and beloved children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In this book we will describe significant events in our lives." Thus begins our Book of Kin. Its story began 12 years ago; we then only dreamed about our Kin's Domain.
And we did everything possible to bring its embodiment closer. I certainly wanted to make the cover myself. And once I've bought a folder for the graduation project, I began to look for fabric to wrap it.
And I found it ... It was a patch of unbleached homespun linen that was woven by my grandmother Polya and preserved by my mother Tatyana. My mom remembers how she helped threading the loom, and all winter my grandmother weaved the fabric. Over the time, my grandmother handed over her weaving machine to the museum of the city of Kostroma.
 |
I was holding this flap of fabric in my hands, and tears have spilled from my eyes (I still cry when I remember that moment). For the first time I felt my ancestors, my grandmother: "Well, finally, at least you needed something and you remembered us."
With great respect, I cut the fabric for the cover and embroidered a wreath of different colors with ribbons. After all, we are all different and all are one, in the same circle of birth and death.
After that, I could not write anything in our Family Book for a long time. I was so scared. What if I'm writing something wrong, not meaningful, stupid. You know, I don't really want to look stupid in the eyes of posterity.
 |
Then it occurred to me that if my grandparents wrote at least something, some kind of wish or letter to me personally, I would take care of it, keep it, admire their care for me.
The fear has passed. In one sitting I wrote 9 pages. About how we live, how I met my husband, how we dreamed about the Kin's Domain, about our development. I kind of wrote a letter to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Since then, a tradition has appeared in our family: at the end of the year we summarize and I record the most significant events of our family, settlement, country in the Family Book. And I paste in photographs, the original hairs of children and children's drawings.
 |
I will give this book to my son or grandson who will inherit the Kin's Domain. And I will ask him to continue recording and pass on the book. One day, I will take it in my little hands and I will touch the yellowed photos and ask, "Who is this? And this? How old am I here?"
Inna Karman
© Copyright RingingCedarsofRussia.org
RingingCedarsofRussia.org assumes no liability for any content in these articles.
