Birthday Girl
March 15th was my maternal grandmother’s birthday. She lived into her 80s before passing away several years ago due to health issues. If you were ever to ask me who has been my first inspiration, then the answer would be her.
Unconventional Upbringing
My loving grandmother and grandfather raised me during the first seven years of my life. My memories of my childhood was vividly very happy and the best one a child could ever have. Where were my parents, you ask? Well, my father was serving in the U.S. military and was frequently deployed across the world. My mother was also deployed in a roundabout way by my grandparents a few years after my birth and was attending a University on another island. Island? Where was I living, you wonder? I originally grew up in the Philippines and eventually moved to the U.S. with my parents. Living on the island was definitely one of the most fun times in my life. But, back to my grandparents. They lived on an island far away from another one that they had formerly grown up in. Apparently, a peaceful, quieter, and not so overpopulated place next to a clean beach was a welcome alternative to their provincial and city life. So imagine the paradise I was living in. Not that this scene was uncommon but beach on one side, mountain on the other, trees to climb, organic foods (before “organic” was organic), unlimited tropical fruits to eat, and rivers, lagoons and waterfalls along the way. Heaven!
The Social Butterfly
My grandmother was the matriarch of the house. She was the lady in charge. Her presence was quite front and center for she was also fashionable, colorful, sophisticated and sociable. She was a beautiful woman who elegantly carried herself like Grace Kelly — the late Princess of Monaco and one of her favorite Hollywood stars back in the day. My grandmother loved to entertain, travel, laugh, and was the church and the town’s community fiesta and party coordinator. She was also a smart business woman and very generous with her time serving other people less fortunate. Such genuine gesture was clearly a seed to model for me what it meant to always pay forward and what mattered most in the end.
The Special Delivery
In addition to being a fashionista and a social coordinator, my grandmother inherited her biological father’s gift for interior design. Grandma always had an idea to decorate the house with and made sure that her home was aesthetically presentable. Her artistic design didn’t end with the house however. My grandma also loved to cook and boy, could she cook. She was quite particular about how things were sliced, chopped, cleaned, and butchered. Vegetables didn’t touch the meat during preparation. She saw cooking as another form of artistic creativity. Not only did everyone love her food but she displayed her creations like masterpieces on the table before Martha Stewart ever existed. She welcomed guests like royalty.
Unfortunately, her father passed away early in life. She later gained a stepfather who was a medical doctor. Interestingly, grandma grew passion for medicine and also wanted to become a doctor or a nurse. That dream was partly hindered by war and foreign occupation of the islands as well as by money and culture (feminism wasn’t so popular back then) but she made it happen in a different way by learning the practical side of medicine and becoming a midwife from assisting and observing her stepfather. When a doctor was called upon for emergencies and none existed for another few hours away, my grandmother bravely stepped in to help. When she could, my grandmother saved life threatening poisoning, complicated births, and basic illnesses. She had such a natural gift and the locals ran to her when there was no other way. She gave them hope as much as she could. The biggest blessing of all was that my grandmother delivered me into the world. Yes, she brought me out for my first breath as her first grandchild. Lucky me! My bond to and love for my grandmother was therefore like no other.
The Natural Gift
Needless to say, my grandmother was the strong figure who brought forth my creative birthright. Picking up a crayon was habitual, a preference, and a passion of mine. I loved to draw and color endlessly. But I also loved to decorate (go figure that!), stitch and embroider, make jewelry, handbags (yes, handbags!), and even clothes. By the way, this activity was just part of the culture. I grew up surrounded by women who created this stuff to pass the time. Of course, I never made clothes until I was into my teens but I wanted to back then. Unfortunately, it was kind of hard to reach the wide flat peddle at age six with the then Singer sewing machine that was built into a desk cabinet. I think my grandmother was more afraid I’d stitch my own fingers anyway. With supervision and guidance, I did make a handkerchief…an easy square. Mission accomplished!
The Talent Show
My grandmother observed my passions and left me to freely immerse in them. I remember the feeling…of just being content and happy because I was totally in alignment with who I truly was. Being a proud grandma, she pushed the envelope further by also getting me to recite poetry and sing in front of the community. Interestingly, I competed reciting prose poems during Junior High and naturally wanted to be just like Marie Osmond at age 10. Of course, my first song wasn’t “Paper Roses” but instead, I sang a song called “Pearly Shells” which was originally sang by the legendary Burl Ives. Whooo? …as some of you younglings are wondering. Well, maybe you’ll recognize his voice singing the original “Frosty the Snowman.” Now you know. So, I not only had to sing the song but my grandmother choreographed a Hawaiian hula dance to go with it. Imagine this little 5 year old chickadee wearing a hula skirt, and hula dancing and singing at the same time. It got more interesting…depending on how you look at it. My other song was “Tiny Bubbles” as popularized by the then Hawaiian singer Don Ho. Once again, it was choreographed to a hula dance. Needless to say, I realized later as a young adult after revisiting and closely examining the lyrics that this was a song about drinking wine. What was my grandma thinking?! I guess it was a popular song back then. Hey, but I won the talent show. Had the X Factor or America’s Talent been around, I think my grandmother would have had me in all of these competitions. Just sayin’.
The Privilege
It boils down to this. I am so privileged to have been inspired by such an admirable woman. My grandmother lived during a period when life could have been shortened at any given moment but she survived uncertainty, war atrocities, invasions, and scarcity. With her strong faith, family, church and community support, freedom eventually gave her, my grandfather and their children opportunities for a better shot at life. What I learned the most from this awesome lady were the essence of doing what you love, helping others, having strong spirituality, being an entrepreneur, good etiquette, having life survival skills, making efforts to learn new things, and to define for me what it meant to be a strong woman when being one wasn’t necessarily popular.
The Inspiration
Life has come in full circle. I will always have a piece of my grandmother in me. Her influence and legacy answers the “Why” I am in who I am, and the “Why” I do in what I do. My love for design, knowledge, and helping others are the core elements that continually guide my own journey towards living a life that matters. Her strengths, wisdom, determination, and imagination have been passed down to me in my DNA and I am grateful for it. This is to honor and pay tribute to all grandmothers who have inspired and paved the way for the rest of us so we can show up confidently, live our calling, and make a difference in the world one person at a time.
Who has been your inspiration? Comment below.