Some comments from Hermine:
Clara's soothing presence, a feather's stroke, lingers,
Clara's soothing presence, a feather's stroke, lingers,
Ripples of her contagious laughter, echo.
We remain, infused with her joy of reading Jane Austin, the news and the funnies.
Warmed by the soft, colorful fabric she wove of life.
Around Clara, a micro climate existed, a calm in the storm, an oasis of patience, kindness and lightness of being.
As far and wide as the people she loved flew, they always craved the graceful peace that was her home.
Her clear voice, the precise, regular curves of her hand writing said without hesitation what she observed, knew and thought
in simple words, to the point, with shades and tones always balanced and respectful.
One of my first cultural adventure with Clara was when she took Nat, Laura, my brother, Herve and I to see Benhur in Paris in 1970.
That summer, Herve and I flew to Tirrenia, Italy to play with Laura and Nat. Clara stocked the essentials: milk, cereal and mosquito coils, giving us the freedom to weave our happiest memories.
Years later when Nat and I were married, Clara was always a reassuring presence. She made sure we put on sun screen and concocted delicious, healthy meals of moist king salmon, rich black bean soup and fresh green salads. We enjoyed many movies and put
quite a few pieces of puzzle together with the kids.
One early morning, Clara drove to Stanford to be with Dylan when Celine was born and while I was in the hospital, she contacted Nat who was in Wisconsin. Later that day, she visited with Dylan and I remember the radiance we basked in, sitting together on the bed, smiling, poking, discovering Celine.
It was especially good to be close to Clara and Steve in Hong Kong, to casually share meals together, have tea and talk. It had been a long time since we lived close by. Clara was concerned about her memory, she moved slower and things were more difficult to do. Still she walked to the market and cooked 3 meals a day. We went on a few adventures, navigated the crowded streets and subway, up and down escalators and stairs to appointments. One day we went for a stroll through a chinese garden.
It was very sad to leave Hong Kong, I knew she would be lonely. We worried and wondered how to make it easier for her. Then Steve found Melissa, and together they took very good care of Clara. Steve talked of Clara with Nat and Laura every day so that we felt like we were there with them.
