Hello everyone! Within the framework of International Women's Day and the contest of @beanz the pirate queen, I found it impossible not to feel inspired to write an article about women in my life and how they have inspired me to become what I am, they have givenme great life lessons and have inspired me to defend feminism and fight for equal rights.
The women in my life have been my main support and motor to form me as a man, to be what I am today and to fight to become what I want to be in the future. My mother and my grandmother have been that main impulse that has taught me to value every second and that love transcends any adversity that may arise.
As I have mentioned in previous articles, my grandmother suffered from Alzheimer's disease, a terrible disease that consumes your memories, your mind, your cognitive abilities and the essence of your being. From a very young age she lived in poverty and came from Colombia in search of a better life, once settled in Venezuela and with hard work she managed to raise her family, with love, dedication and patience she raised her 5 children. Always teaching them that humility and work were the most important values.
(My grandmother at a young age)
My childhood with my grandmother was the stage of my life that I remember with more affection, her illness was already installed, but it did not stop her from giving me all the affection, company and teachings that a grandmother could give. She was my best friend, we used to draw, play, sing and even fight together, since her illness made her behave like a child on many occasions. Sometimes I think about how unfair life is with many women who suffer from Alzheimer's.
As the years passed, the disease progressed, it was inevitable, her memories and her abilities became more limited. The day of her completely staying into bed in an almost vegetative state arrived, that's when my mother taught me the most important lesson of life: how to be a son. My mother got up early every morning to prepare food for my grandmother, fed her in the mouth like a baby, lifted her from her bed to put her in a wheelchair and took her to the bathroom, where she bathed and did all her toilet. As the days passed, the situation became more difficult. My grandmother's body was more rigid and my mother always showed her love by taking care of her with patience and dedication until her last breath.
My mother and my grandmother taught me how warriors are the women in life, they don't surrender, they love unconditionally and until the last moment, to be there every second for them, I did not share much with my grandmother since the disease stole her form me before her time, but through her eyes she transmitted love, her memories were not there, she did not speak, but she made her love and Tenderness through her gaze. I wish I could one day be as strong as the women in my family who are a source of inspiration for many. Thank you ladies for teaching us so much!
Happy International Women's Day!