Thank heavens, for little girls....

Today I am thinking of the women who have in one way or other affected my life. The most important person is the one who gave me life - my mum.

I never appreciated her till I was an adult, and appreciated her even more when I became a mother myself. Looking back, she made everything seem easy. She worked, tutored us and almost all my cousins, cooked and cleaned. I used to tease her that she lived in la-la land because she was always cheerful. She was terribly old-fashioned and I think if she could have kept me locked up away from lecherous boys till I was 40, she would have. I didn't understand it then, but now, I do thank her for it.

She showed me what courage was. When she was diagnosed with cancer, it didn't stop her from working or traveling. Even when it was affecting her leg and she could only hobble, she drove to school everyday to teach. She went to Finland with what I called her 'poo bag' after part of her colon was removed. A little thing like that was not going to stop her from seeing Santa Claus!

It's been seven years since she died and I think about her every single day. I am what I am because of her.

The next woman who played a part in making me who I am was my maternal grandmother. She had it tough. 10 children and no maid!

She was a great cook and I remember going to visit mamma and having my favourite steamed chicken. When she was about 70, she discovered pizza and loved it. So we would bring a pizza for her and she'd chew on it (took some time cos she was wearing dentures). When I hear the phrase 'tough old bird', I'd think of my grandma. Her will to live was strong. She was a cancer survivor and lived way past the time the doctors gave her.

It's been a long, long time since I've held my grandma's hand but I still remember how those hands felt - wrinkled and small. Hands that have held 10 of her own babies and 14 of her babies' babies.

I would not be here if it wasn't for these two women. They have played a part in the way I think and act. Our past does define who we are as adults and I have been lucky to have had two strong role models in my life.