By: Fernando-x Arteaga
Everyone admires someone who could be the most
marvelous being on the earth. That being will be considered as the only one
representing wisdom, love, beauty, or peace. However, it is difficult to choose
one person to investigate because there are several situations with
unforgettable people in my life. Whom would you decide to search about if you
could only choose just one? I was thinking about this for many days and I
couldn´t sleep at night for awhile. I had many options for great people
to write about and most of them had important teachings for me, but I
eventually decided to do some research on my grandmother´s life. Her life is
like an interesting tale, in which we can discover incredible and practical
teachings of a woman that was born in the countryside, near the border of a
small town. My mother used to narrate stories about my grandma and I was excited about listening and imagining them. Now, I am 23 years old and I cannot remember certain important details of those terrific yarns. I believe they are very important to my life because my personality and mood could have their origins in those stories. Usually, my grandma´s life was an example of life everywhere, when I was a child. I solved problems thinking what she would have done if she had been there. Actually, I ask myself why my grandma has become the most beloved person to me and why the stories about her come to my mind so regularly. I remember that once upon a time in a small town called Saint Gabriel, in which the sun shines like gold in the sky spread as if a cleanest carpet was cast by Good over the town, a cute elder woman had to look after two hungry little children alone. One of the two young ladies was my mother. Also, my grandma´s husband died when their babies were born and she didn´t have a permanent job to support them because of her unfortunate illiteracy. With no other job prospects, she began to sell bread walking through every street in her town, where the clouds seem the clearest cotton painted by cherubs while the birds flap on the deep in the sky as if they were stars sparkling in the day. In that town, my brave grandmother, without money in her pockets, incredibly fed her family by herself. When I listened to those stories, I learned to be valiant, hardworking and also not yielding to anything.
Searching about my grandmother´s life and relating it with my childhood was a fabulous experience because I have discovered many surprises. First of all, I visited my aunt last weekend on November, 2010, and I started looking at my relative’s photo albums, in which my grandmother was pictured. The albums not only have funny pictures, but also have sad ones. Then, various anecdotes were related by my oldest aunts during the whole night and I began again imagining everything that they had said. The next step was talking to my mother even though she lives in another city. Yesterday, I spent hours and hours talking to her by phone. I knew my grandmother´s date of birth, address, likes, dislikes, and customs. I really had a good time listening to my mother. I could learn more about the history of my hometown and family through the tales about my grandmother.
At the end of my research I learned why my relatives used to say that I was like my grandmother. I have had quite the same problems as she and I have taken equal actions to solve them. The stories that my mother told me during my childhood have been tools of survival. Therefore, she becomes important as an example of life in my family. She won´t be remained as a famous saint but she shared love, peace, and freedom. She overcame all of the difficulties a person could, even living in poverty. She showed her family how to be courageous, honest and proud. She was like a super heroine in the tale of her life. It was an amazing experience because by talking about her, my family and my relatives got much closer.
Finally, I would like to ask if you admire someone in your family. Who has been, as the strongest pillar in your life? Try to discover it if you don´t know it yet. I have understood part of my life searching about my grandmother due to her incredible and true stories of boldness. I can say that everybody in the world carries inside their heart someone, as an example of what life should be about. It is astonishing to research about someone close to you. You cannot imagine what mysterious topics you can find. Last, I want you to come across some information about whom you admire. It won´t only be to reinforce your feelings of her or him, but also to answer questions that you might have while learning more about your forefathers.