Remembering... my mother was a woman with a lot of self-improvement spirit, she was very positive, hard-working and liked order and cleanliness. I saw the latter as exaggerated in her while I was in my childhood and adolescence, however, today I realize that she was right and I imitate this behavior. My mother, who was a Spanish and Literature teacher, worked for a few years in the town of Araya, Cruz Salmerón Acosta municipality, Sucre State, until her transfer to Cumaná became a reality.
In addition to the spirit of self-improvement, she carried with her the spirit of sacrifice, she studied and worked at the same time. To go to Araya she had to get on a boat at 5 am in the morning and return late at night, which is why I only saw her on weekends and vacations. I was very little at that time and so I stayed all week at an aunt's house. When my brother was born, my mother left him in a crib while I spent the week at a relative's house.
When I turned 9 years old, my mother graduated and a year later she was transferred to Cumana, our city of residence. It was not easy, but after so much sacrifice we managed to be all together. As for her routine, she would get up early to prepare lunch, breakfast, get us ready for school and then she would go to work. When she came back, she would finish preparing lunch and we would all sit at the table for lunch. Her job as a teacher was Monday through Friday, however, she had work at home reviewing reports and grading tests, in addition to being a housewife, wife and mother.
Our vacations were in the same periods, that was wonderful because we always celebrated Christmas holidays together and in August vacations she always planned trips to different places in our beloved Venezuela. Thanks to that I got to know Margarita Island, Caracas, La Colonia Tovar, Ciudad Bolivar and Caripe, that's what I remember now. On weekends, usually on Sundays, I used to go to a beach house that belonged to my maternal grandparents, where they used to make "sancochos" and the whole family would get together.
How do I remember mom? Always having mom alive is a great privilege, those who have her enjoy spending as much time as possible with her, sometimes I remember those moments and I feel nostalgic. Today as an adult I wish she was here to ask her for advice, to share with her my achievements, my joys, the pleasure of watching movies and finding the sobering messages. She loved to read, to analyze her reading, as well as movies. It is an activity that I really enjoy and often do, I enjoy watching movies, reviewing them and writing about something that I found extraordinary.
If she were here, I would have liked to repay her a little for what she did for me, take care of her, give her gifts, take her to eat her favorite dishes and go for a walk, although she always told me that she appreciated more the intangible, that she was satisfied with being treated well. I accomplished a few things, but time did not allow me to do more. We children are blessings, but we also give our parents headaches. I would say, "Mom, forgive me for all the times I caused you distress and discomfort”.
My mother was very generous, she would help anyone who needed it, whether it was something material or if someone was looking for some advice. She always had a word of encouragement, I remember she helped many people when she could. She was very cheerful, she always livened up family gatherings by telling jokes, something that the family looked forward to in every sharing because they were moments of laughter and togetherness. Her laughter was contagious, when she watched comedy shows she would let out very loud guffaws that invited us all to laugh. I remember her at her sewing machine, mending our clothes and practicing making simple clothes to wear around the house. She loved animals, she loved dogs, which is why we always had them at home, it is another legacy from my mother, the love and compassion for those who have no voice.
This publication was very emotional for me, today my mother is in another place far from this earthly plane and there is not a day that goes by that I do not remember her. There were many things that did not crystallize because she left very soon and all that remains is to remember the beautiful moments lived.
Thank you for Reading
All photos are from my personal album, reproduced from my Xiaomi Redmi 9 phonez