Vylma & lars when he was 6 months old ... I love this photo of her.
Vylma is my Mother. She was a young Mother ... 18 I think when she had me. By the time she was in her early 20's she had 2 children under 3 and was a single Mother. Back then there was no such thing as Government Support to help women in Vylma's position ... she had to work and rely on the support of her parents.
Vylma worked hard to support my brother and I. We lived in a State House ... government housing ... in Mairehau. She worked long days and would often do overtime to make extra money for us, which meant she was not home when we got home from school. In my teens we lived with her parents ... there were 4 generations living in one house ... Vylma worked at the Marathon Rubber factory on Cumnor Tce in Woolston not far from Grandma and Grandads. I worked with her at the Marathon during the school holidays ... I remember it being full of women ... we clocked in at the beginning of the day and clocked out at home time. These women, Vylma included were hard case! They took no nonsense from anyone and they worked hard. They could laugh, they could work and they could give the men who were their bosses a really hard time and they had their favourites.
I was a difficult teenager growing up and made Vylma's life hell. Like most teenagers and teenage daughters I thought my Mother knew nothing ... she didn't understand me and she didn't get it. Then I became a Mother and realised how difficult it is to be the kind of Mother I really wanted to be ... and as I get older I see my Mother in me everyday.
I admire how she never gave in and worked to support us ... this meant she paid rent so we could have somewhere to live ... she bought food for us so that we could eat ... she went and worked in menial jobs that had no future so that she could pay for the things that we needed and wanted. Of course as a child/teenager I never saw any of that, I see it now. I see you now Mum. I see your strength, your courage, your stamina, your energy, your passion and vitality and your great sense of humour!
I am grateful for you Vylma and everything that you sacrificed for us ... I am grateful for your commitment to us, for your example and for your efforts on our behalf and for the life you tried to give us. I love seeing you with your Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren ... I love seeing how proud you are of them and how loyal you are to them, I love seeing you find joy in them. I see you as a strong woman, who has had to do some very hard things and I don't know how you did it.
Today is Vylma's birthday, in Bulgaria ... she is 76. Happy Birthday Mum ... thank you!
Vylma with Mike ... #1 Grandson ... lars #1 Great Grandson.
No comments:
Post a Comment