My mother passed away on May 1st, 2016. It seems like only yesterday that I could hear her voice and her laughter and see her innocent smile.
Although Mother’s Day is celebrated once a year in May, I believe we should celebrate and honour our mothers every day, even with a simple, “I love you.” They deserve our daily appreciation, gratitude, love, respect, and attention. A mother’s love is all-encompassing, all-embracing, and all-accepting. My mother always made us feel safe, valued, and important. Her nurturing support was consistently present, and she sacrificed her life for us.
Her superpower was being the glue that kept the family together; she had the strongest backbone, yet it was also the most pliable, as she was able to bend over backwards while at the same time remaining that strong pillar that guided and nourished our lives.
The first relationship we form is with our mother, and the first teacher we have is our mother.
My mother was a full-time mom when I was growing up. When I had asked her what she would have liked to have done if she could have worked, she replied that she would have loved to become a teacher.
My mother taught us the greatest lessons of life through her example and her life.
My mother born 1923
- Be firm yet gentle and kind.
- Stay strong yet graceful and flexible.
- Always be persistent, yet devoted and patient. My mother was from Calabria, Italy, so needless to say, hardheadedness (Testa Dura) runs in my family.
- Get back up when you fall, and remember to keep calm and keep going.
- Treat everyone with respect, most of all yourself.
- Always work hard at whatever you do. Stay on the path, keep the faith, and find the courage.
- The secret to being a good cook is that you don’t need any fancy ingredients; just make it with lots of love. As my mother would say, “L’ho fatto con tanto amore!” (I made it with so much love.)
- Find peace, harmony, laughter, and chocolate every day. Even though she was diabetic, I would usually gave her one small chocolate after her dinner; her favourite was Lindt’s white chocolate. When I would ask her if she enjoyed her piece of chocolate, she would reply, “No one gave me any chocolate!”
- And above all, she taught us unconditional love, the purest form of love – always there for you and loving you no matter what.
If there is one word to sum it all up, it would have to be MAMMA.
Antoinette Giacobbe M.A.
