The Grapevine: Celebrating Mother's Day
By Rosalyn Queen on May 03, 2016 from The Grapevine
This Sunday we will all be celebrating a special day, Mother's Day.
As we get older and we have more time to reminiscence we spend a lot of time thinking about mothers.I think back about the mothers that have had an influence on my life and immediately I think of my two grandmothers who had a great presence in my growing up.
First, I think of my grandmother Burnett, who was my fathers mother and who lived with us her entire life. Although she was not the woman of the house, as my mother was, her influence was very evident.
First and foremost she was the typical Italian mother whose son meant everything to her. Although she never spoke a word of English she was not short in demonstrating her love for her grandchildren. The most important thing I learned from her was respect for our parents.
My other grandmother Veneziano, my mother's mother, lived in North View and she too demonstrated the importance of family. Most Sundays you would find us at her table enjoying pasta or chicken pastina.She enjoyed her grandchildren especially when we made our weekly visits. I learned a lot from her especially when I was the designated granddaughter to help prepare the fish on Christmas Eve. To this day I can close my eyes and see me helping her peel the eel as we got it ready to be fried.
She was adamant about passing down our heritage and in my cedar chest is a beautiful comforter that she said was her mothers, Grandma Audia, that she brought from Italy. I treasure this and know that it is just one more thing of importance that a mother does for her children.
The next mother that certainly had a positive impression on me was my own mother, Florence Roberti Burnett. My mother was the beginning of the half old-school and half new-school mother. She the customs of the past with the new customs and we were taught both of them. We never lacked for her love and guidance. She was of the generation that knew we had to be taught about our heritage as well as to be taught about changing with the new ideas that were facing us.
These three "blood" mothers were very important in our lives.
Now I also had a godmother, Lena Garrett, who had an important presence in my life. I always admired the way she dressed with her beautiful jewelry. I still have a few of her pins that I wear and they always cheer me up and remind me of just what a great woman she was. Of course, she was the lady who taught me the secret to making Pita Piata and just how to roll them.
Throughout my life there have been many other women who have taken a motherly role when necessary and I think of them often. My last mother to think of on this special day is my daughter Lisa and the role she has played in being a mother to my granddaughter, Miranda. If I were to look in a mirror she would reflect most of the good things that come from the above mentioned women. Although she has probably modernized them, Lisa stands as a tribute to these wonderful women and mothers.
Each of us will celebrate Mother's Day in our own special way, but let us not forget those women who have laid the foundation that has made us the mothers that we are. I hope each and every one of you will remember your mother on this day with her own special something.
A Happy Mother's Day to each of you from me and especially to Karen Hinkle, Jan Hinkle and Tammy Romano who I reconnected with this past week. Each of us can make every day Mother's Day with just a little bit of effort.
Keep in touch and until next week "Now You Have Heard It Through The Grapevine."
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