WEDDING IN KOS ISLAND, GREECE

Sometimes complete strangers live parallel lives. On one hand, we’ve got Peter’s story who was born and raised in Kos like all his ancestors. The scattered tower mills on the island of Kos are one of its landmarks. One of them, in which Peter’s father passed away, belongs to his family. He was such a smiling and fun-loving man that the mourning of his grieving family and friends seemed never-ending.

For those who don’t know me, I love making documentary films. I enjoy travelling around the world and filming while making new friends. Whenever I undertake a wedding ceremony and get the chance, I love exploring the place I have been invited to. So, in one of my trips, I met two wonderful elderly people who had never left their island before, and I sat down to talk with them. So I learned their story, which I won’t tell you, but I’ll be very happy if you get to feel even a fragment of what I felt by watching the video I made. In a few words, they live in, as they like to say, a small house, their children live far and they haven’t seen them for years.

Listening to them makes me think of Peter and Anna’s lives. Some people would give anything to see their beloved ones just one more time. Parents are the ones always struggling to raise their children and give them a decent life. Since our very first breath, they have always been present in our lives, so it’s hard to imagine life without them. Making them happy is very easy. A simple hug and telling them how much we love them is all they need, as Peter told me in the film. The people standing next to us will not be there forever, so don’t take anything for granted. We should tell them how much we love them before it’s too late. Something as simple as a hug, a small gesture, is an act of love that we all need, let alone our parents.

They shared their story and their pain with me and offered me whatever food they had on their table. But I will never forget the old woman’s last words before I left. While giving me some watermelon and melon for the road, she said: “Son, if you ever are around again, as long as we’re still alive, don’t forget us and pass by to say hello!”

This means everything to me.