My feet feel sore. I am not quite ready to wake when my youngest slides next to me for some cuddle time before truly waking up for the day. We lie in bed chatting about the night before. It is clear she had fun. A little later, I walk around the house and catch snatches of color everywhere. Flowers, vermillion, oil lamps, glitter, gift bags and, fruits. Saathi and Laddu snip the ends of the cut flowers and arrange them in vases. The succulents need tending to. The fruits are in a basket and the gift bags sorted by size and put away.
Each year, during Navarathri, I pick one day to host and invite all the people I care about to join me. Some years, I cater the food. This year, I made most of it myself. I had Taylor Swift give me company as I cooked. Ammu cut potatoes for me while I roasted, boiled, steamed and, tempered food. We spent most of the day in the kitchen chatting and laughing. By early evening, we shifted gears and turned our attention to getting dressed up.
Ammu and Pattu both picked out sarees they wanted to wear. As I wrapped, pinned and, tucked five yards of fabric over their tall, lean frames, I felt emotional. These little girls of mine were now women in their own right. They carried their sarees with grace all evening. Over the course of the evening as I welcomed guests home and caught up with them and theirs, I caught glimpses of my children each engaging and disengaging from the crowd.
Long after the last guest left, we cleaned up as a family. The girls gathered the fruits and flowers and put away things in their places. I did the dishes while Saathi cleaned the counters. Folding and putting away the sarees, I realized how true the adage that the days are long, but the years short, is.
My daughters who once crawled around in sleep sacks now walk around in sarees. They set out Golu dolls with the same fervor that Halloween and Christmas decor demands. They assist me in the kitchen and stay up helping me clean up after. Somewhere between the baby years and the teens, my girls have grown up and grown well.
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