MOMS - November 2007

I seem to be having a theme of "welcome to my world" this month, so I thought I'd tell you all about my Mother.

My mother was born in Davos, Graubunden, Switzerland in 1923. Her father was Swiss and her mother was American.

Her father wanted to be a banker, but his parents insisted he be a lawyer. This was back in the day when you didn't say no to your parents about anything. So he became a lawyer ... and started drinking. Mom didn't say anything to me about this until within the last ten years or so; I guess she was ashamed, although she needn't have been. Whatever money the family had was spent on drink or on taking care of Nayni (as close a phonetic spelling as I can get) once he developed the health problems of an excessive drinker.

Mom, her brother and mother spent a lot of time living with other family and friends.

Then, in her teens and early twenty's WWII exploded all around the little haven that was Switzerland. Even today it doesn't take more than like two hours to cross the country, so it must have been terribly nerve-wracking back then. I think that is where I get my determination and persistence from ... her backbone.

Like I said before, my Nani (Swiss for grandmother) was actually born in the US, and emigrated to Switzerland when she was 17. She was a beautiful woman (I've seen pictures) in her youth and according to my Mother had quite a few "gentleman callers". Mom has some old rings of Nani's and you just don't get the same craftsmanship today as you did back then.


Anyhow, my grandfather was the suitor that she chose to marry, and am I ever glad that she did! *LOL*

On the downside, I date most of my problems with self-esteem from the time I wanted to enter a children's beauty pageant when I was about 5 or 6, and my mother's response was "well, you know not everyone wins". For all I know, it could have been that we didn't have the money for the entry fee ... but my little self took it as that my mother did not believe I could win.

On the plus side, my Mother has surprised me more than once with shows of support. I suppose the biggest one was when I had to tell her I was pregnant the first time. Normally, not a hard thing to tell one's mother, especially considering it would be her first grandchild - and she had started to think she wouldn't live to see them; however, I was *scary movie music* "not married". She really stepped up to the plate on that one, regardless of what I might or might not have deserved at that point.

Mothers are people too. They're not angels, but they're not devils either. If yours leans more towards the angel side, you are truly blessed. If, on the other hand, your mother has had ... more than a fair share of problems ... you have my sympathy and my admiration for surviving in spite of it all.

Oh, remind me one day to post the picture of my mother alpine skiing in her bathing suit. She was a hottie back in her day! :)