This photo is especially precious to me because it is one of the few pictures of my Grandma smiling.

If someone took a picture of her, Grandma tried to put a serious expression on her face. But this picture is a snapshot. Apparently mom came with the camera into the kitchen when we were laughing, we didn’t have time to stop.

Many who knew Grandma said that she had the most sincere and open smile. There was a lot of labor in Grandma’s life, but also a lot of joy. We laugh often, sometimes to tears, and joked a lot. Every time our fun ended with grandma wiping the tears from her eyes and saying: “That’s enough, you’ll laugh a lot — you’ll cry a lot.”

At the time, it seemed to me that that was probably true. Fun should be limited, everything should be in moderation. But now it makes me sad to remember that it was as if she was afraid to have fun and be happy. I wish I could take back those days, see my grandmother smile again and try to explain to her that if she laughs a lot, nothing bad will happen. I’m sorry she somehow thought that wasn’t true.