We have adopted a memorial bench (“herinneringsbankje” in Dutch) for Emma in the Hortus Botanicus at Leiden University. Emma enjoyed visiting the Hortus and spending time there, both with friends and by herself.
There’s a small plaque on the bench that says “Wees lief voor jezelf” (“Be kind to yourself”), a piece of advice Emma gave to many people. We go and visit the Hortus and Emma’s bench every other week or so. We think of her, we talk to her, we talk to each other, to friends, or we just sit and have a drink or some food. The bench, together with the Chinese garden in which it is located, has become the place where we, and many of her friends, go to connect to Emma.