A tale of two people and their love

Travice and Beryl Peries

Now that I have a son of my own, I find myself thinking back on my own childhood, and beautiful memories of my grandparents emerge. I thought I would write this tribute as their birthdays are on July 25 and August 3. They would have been 97 and 99 years.

My grandparents were not rich people, but they left behind a legacy of love, which has guided and strengthened me over the years. I treasure all I learnt from them and have tried to live by the principles and values that I was taught and hope to pass them on to our son. They showed me by their example that happiness is the ability to make a bouquet with the flowers within one’s reach.

The two of them complemented each other and I learnt so much from their beautiful relationship. After my grandfather passed on, we came across his diary for that year where he had written down his goals. Heading the list was “Make Beryl happy”. She in turn used her many talents to create a happy home.

My grandmother was the gentlest person I have ever known. She was selfless in her love for everybody. Her life reflected Christ’s love. I enjoyed cooking with her and we had lots of fun tasting! Today I still use many of her recipes. She and I used to make our own greeting cards, which were meaningful though messy!

My grandfather instilled in me that I need only do my best. Winning wasn’t the aim, but he used to say, “Aim for the moon – at least you might hit some stars!”. He inculcated in me a love for reading. He encouraged me to read widely on many topics, to appreciate literature, art and nature. He would take me for singing classes and enjoyed hearing me play the piano. In sports, while encouraging me to be competitive, he also taught me to have fun! He fostered in me an independent spirit and helped me to value being a self-sufficient person. One incident in particular illuminates my memories of him. When my grandfather realized that we hadn’t seen fire-flies as we lived in Colombo, he went one night to Nugegoda by bus (as he had been advised not to drive by then), caught some fire-flies in his handkerchief and brought them to our home. Then, putting the lights off, he released the fire-flies. My sister and I were amazed by the sparkling fire-flies, and his face sparkled as he looked at us! This is one example of how he creatively exposed us to the wonders of life.

In their wisdom, our grandparents gave us all these “gifts” that money just cannot buy, that would last beyond their lifetime.

By Dayani Fernando