recalling the day

As often as she could, my mother would come into my room late at night, after all the guests had left or been put to bed, and all the rooms were clean and closed. 

On special days, such as holidays or birthdays, she would recount an earlier year, showering me with blessings for the coming future and reciting spontaneous Sanskrit mantras for invoking the gods. She could make any day special, by remembering anniversaries of our multitude of family members, ancestors, her various journeys through many countries, or my father’s colorful career. She would begin with a sigh, then recount her father or her mother who had died when she was nineteen, and a story would emerge from the ethers and land in my bedroom, transporting us to Calcutta or Kashi or Jessore of an earlier decade.  

~ EveryDay Ayurveda, 2015, Chapter 38 - Recalling the Day