In the Arms of an Angel

 

Three images of three mothers, including Mother Mary & Jesus
August 28th is a special day for Macedonian Orthodox Christians. It is a special day in particular for my family also.  This great religious holiday is the Assumption of Mary (Uspenie na presveta Bogorodica). 
For my family it is the celebration of another great mother, my Mum’s birthday. It is Macedonian tradition to name your children after the religious day that they were born on.  But instead of Mary, my Mother was named Vera, which means “Faith” in Macedonian.  And that’s exactly what she left us with. Faith that she will always be in our hearts, faith that I will love and teach my child unconditional love as she did me. Faith that she will always be looking down on us from heaven above, just like Mother Mary.

Happy Birthday Mum.

May Mother Mary bring Peace,
happiness, good health, love & success to all homes.   
Amen

Нека донеси мир, добро здравје, лјубов, срекја и успек во сите домови. Напомош денот. 

Words & Artwork by: Diane Kitanoski for This is Roshambo
Images: (Left) Zoran Kitanoski /  (Right) Dusan Milošević

Title: “In the arms of an angel” – Sarah Mclachlan 
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Happy

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All a parent wants for their child is for them to be happy.  (And healthy of course)  A lot of people think that money is the answer, but money doesn’t bring you happiness, it just calms the nerves.  As most of you know, I lost my Mum over 2 years ago, and it hurts everyday.  But she wouldn’t want me to be sad, she would want me to be happy, that’s all she ever wanted.    The happiest day in my life came three weeks ago……twice!  I finally found my Prince Charming and we got married….two ceremonies, two different countries, double the fun! (and stress)

My parents migrated from Macedonia and met as teenagers in Australia.  They got married in a “Church of England” as there were no Orthodox churches at that time.  My Mum’s dying wish was that we have her funeral service in the same church she got married in because that was the happiest day of her life.  I now know that feeling too.  I am blessed to have had such love from my Mum and even more blessed to have found someone to share that love with……my husband.

I started this blog two years ago as a birthday gift to my Mum.  For your birthday today Mum, I know you are watching because you are always with us, but I want to tell you that I am happy.

It’s bittersweet to say you’re happy when you miss someone, but that’s what life is all about.

The adventure begins…………….

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Words & Photography by: Diane Maslać for This is Roshambo
Title: “Happy” by Pharrell

Your mother and mine

watercolour drawing / painting of hairspray and hair brush by Diane Kitanoski

My mother would always do my hair when I was a little girl.  She would sit there for hours putting curlers in my hair preparing for dancing competitions.  And I always went to school with the smoothest of ponytails, never a bump in sight.  A few years ago I asked her to help me with my hair and I passed her the hair brush and she said, “Why are you using this old thing?”  I told my Mum “I use this brush because it reminds me of you and of when I was a little girl.”  I still use that same brush today.

My Mum’s  mother, my maternal grandmother, used to brush my hair before school using this same hair brush.  And to make my hair as smooth as possible she would ‘spit’ on the brush to smooth out the frizzy bits!  Yes, you read that right!  But I was on to her.  When it was time to brush my hair I would get a bowl of water that she could dip the brush in instead of spitting on it and I would turn off the cartoons so I could see her reflection in the TV, just in case she reverted back to her old tricks.

My Dad’s mother, my paternal grandmother, would always let me use her hairspray when I was a little girl, I just loved the way it smelled.  You guessed it, Cedel hairspray in the pink can.  Just like that old hair brush, you can find the pink can in my vanity.  And yes I still use it to this day.  Not because it’s necessarily my favourite one, but because it reminds me of one of my favourite ladies.

My most favourite one of them all is my Mum. 

And today is Mother’s Day for her and her Mum and my Dad’s Mum too. 

All three angels.

Whether your Mum is an angel on earth or an angel in heaven too,

Happy Mother’s Day to your mother and mine.

 

Artwork: Diane Kitanoski for www.thisisroshambo.com
Title: “Your mother and mine” – Wendy from Peter Pan
All rights reserved © This is Roshambo

Broken Heart

A year ago today my heart broke forever.

You took a piece of me,
a piece of all of us,
with you.

Nothing time will ever heal
Instead, a lesson of how it will be from now on

They say to remember the good times
I’ll tell you what I do remember,
I remember how you used to say…..

“This is fuckin bullshit!”

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You were our steel magnolia.
So strong.
Courageous.

But every beautiful flower eventually dies.

We will fight ’til the end, like you showed us how.
And as we do,
we will continue to miss you each and every day.

This is Roshambo

( Vera Kitanoski 1954-2014 )

This is for you
Xo

Photography: Diane Kitanoski for www.thisisroshambo.com
Title: “Broken Heart” – Eddie Vedder
All rights reserved © This is Roshambo

An inspiration is what you are to me

In honour of my Mother

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This blog is dedicated to a beautiful woman by the name of Vera who I call Mum.

A strong and courageous woman who lost her 15 month battle with pancreatic cancer in March of this year.

Had she lived to see the day, today she would have celebrated her 60th Birthday

You rock my world.  You are my inspiration.  You are forever in my heart.

This is my present to you Mum,

Happy Birthday

This is Roshambo

Xx

 

 

 “If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you.  When mountains crumble to the sea, there would still be you and me.”

 

All rights reserved © This is Roshambo