Michelle aka The Italian Mama Chef won SWB's 3rd Anniversary Writing Contest with this lovely essay. Choosing a winner was very difficult. At the end of this post you'll find links to other entries.
The most influential woman in my life is not one woman but many women who have taught me many things. I can’t say that is was only my mom or my grandmother. It was both of them, it was a neighbor growing up. It was my sister, my cousin and my best friends. Today the women around me that influence me are those who take the time to share with me the things in life that I didn’t learn early on. Some of these women pray with me and for me. Some of them simply listen. How can any one person be the biggest influence on your life? We are constantly growing and changing with the trials of life so that brings about the need for different women to walk along side of me to help me to where I want to be.
Lately I have been finding that my daughters influence me in many ways. They challenge me to improve myself as a mother and grandmother. I watch them as they are mothers to their own children and think to myself that someone had to have shown them how to do that and then I realize it was me! My mother in law has also been a big influence in my life. She was a friend to me when I moved away from my family and knew no one else in our town. She accepted me and my daughters as a part of her family from the start. My sister has helped me to see the truth about things in my life that I might not have otherwise have noticed on my own.
Pictured below is my mom, my grandmother and my aunt.
I can also say that my mom influenced me in several ways that were monumental in my life. When I had my first child at 16, she was there for me but she did not become the parent for my baby. She made sure I was the one doing the parenting. I needed that. I watched other teen moms around me go out partying while their moms raised their children and felt bad for their kids. I knew that I was the one my daughter needed to raise her. I took on that responsibility and never looked back. If my mom hadn’t done the things she did I would have relied on her or others too much and never stepped up to the plate.
My grandmother Matilde Michelina circa 1929
I was unsure how to write this post, it’s for a contest, because I could not narrow it down to just one woman who influenced me the most in life. It’s all of the wonderful women who have come into my life over the last 43+ years. But my Italian grandmother is the one who’s memory lives on in this blog more than anyone. She was a kind woman and did more work in a day than I can imagine. I wish she was here to teach me how to cook like she did. All I can do is go by memories and research but she is the inspiration for this blog as a whole.
For all the women in my life, I love you all!
As promised ...
I am so honored! Thank you so much for choosing me. I read all the other entries and I know I read some great inspiring heart-felt stories. It's wonderful to know so many women are influencing generation after generation. Thanks again.
Posted by: Michelle @ Italian Mama Chef | June 19, 2010 at 11:21 PM
So beautiful , simple and Elegant!
Posted by: Antonina | June 21, 2010 at 01:25 PM
Grazie mille, I just saw a ping from this site. We are the lucky ones who had special nonnas.
Posted by: Lisa F | July 24, 2010 at 06:35 PM