Helen
Golden Years
Thursday, October 6th, 2011This is Helen. If I could describe Helen in a word it would be ‘passionate’ – when she speaks about the church, her family, gardening, loss and love – you can tell it’s straight from her heart. We started the session going to church (a mandatory requirement by Helen was that I attend with her!) and after she made sandwiches and we sat at the table just chatting.
She told me this one story about her dog and I think it perfectly sums up the kind of person Helen is. Two years ago she lost her husband Martin – Max was Martins dog. She laughed when she told me that there were times where she felt Max came first in Martin’s heart and she came second. Helen told me that because Max was so good to Martin in his final years – she feels the need to spoil him now (and to say Max is spoiled is quite the understatement!)
Helen celebrated her 80th birthday a few weeks after our Forevermore session and it goes without saying that she is definite proof that age is only a number! In the afternoon we took Max for a walk, visited the nursery, and spent some time gardening. When she was gardening, walking about her backyard tending to her plants you could just tell she was lost within her element. It was incredible to witness the joy and dedication, all the hard work and long hours she has put into her yard – and when you get to the very far end of it and look towards the house, its easy to see why. It’s beautiful.
Thank you Helen for spending the day with me –I can’t even begin to express how inspired and amazed I am by you!
2 lovely comments 
Meg these photos are amazing, as I scrolled through them I remembered seeing my Oma going about her day, sitting down to a lunch with our gouda sandwiches as max layed under the table. Every picture no matter of a wall, or the arrangement of glasses and books on the kitchen table says Oma to me. Wonderfully captured
You definitely captured a day in the life of Helena otherwise known as Oma. You are absolutely right to say that she is an inspiration to us, her outlook on life and death is very practical, She may be 80 in chronical years but she certainly does not act her age , in fact she functions in her daily life as if she was 65 or younger. You photos have captured Helena, that are like a still life of her,, great job.