Mother’s Day is the day we celebrate the women who made us who we are. It’s a day that honors someone who has done so much, the millions of someones who live their lives quietly raising and sacrificing for their progeny. There is probably no greater influence in any of our lives than our mothers, and the legacy of a mother can have an impact that lasts generations.
In my family we have a lot of strong women. My late paternal grandmother was a woman who lived to be 98, survived wars, gave birth to ten children, and saw the world change in incredible ways as the background of her life changed from a very rural village with no roads or running water on one continent, to the bustling busyness of New York City on another. She passed away when I was young, but before she did she told me about her life growing up, how she fell in love with my grandfather, what village life was like during war occupations, and she taught me how to knit before her arthritis got the best of her. She took care of my grandfather for many of his later years after an accident, and was always there for her children and grand children.
My maternal grandmother was the mother of five, and like my other grandmother, could not read or write but still managed to survive harsh farm life in a very poor country. Today she shows us devotion by caring for my grandfather with advanced Alzhemiers. She taught me how to make exotic pastries and how to repurpose items for more uses to save (she is quite thrifty), and how to sew.
Their legacies were being example of strength despite adversity, and always taking care of those they loved. In addition to teaching me some great recipes and practical skills like how to knit and sew, they taught me to always be there for family, in the good times as well as the bad, and never give up on anyone. They didn’t just tell me, they showed me…they lived it every day. It always filled me with peace and confidence to know there was always someone I could count on, no matter what.
It’s a legacy I want to give to my sons- to always be there for family, even when old and infirm, and I want them to have the security of knowing whatever they strive for in life, whatever their struggles, adversities, challenges, that they will always have someone who will never give up on them. I want to teach them to be fathers and husbands who never give up on those they love.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Shane Co. The opinions and text are all mine.