By teaching my son these values, I hope to raise a generation that not only respects women but also champions equality and kindness in all aspects of life. Together, we can create a world where everyone is treated with the respect they deserve.
Susana Maria Gonçalves TP in Portugal
My grandmother was my inspiration and my safe haven. She was a strong, willful woman with a great sense of humor. She grew up 70 years ago in a time when women were not supposed to look out for them- selves, raise their children alone, or choose who to love. She did all of this, worked a lot, and still always found time to laugh, play cards, go out for tea and shopping with her friends, and make dinners at home. When I was a kid, sometimes, she had more than 30 family members and friends having dinner at her place. The dinner table would go out the living room and across the hall into the open exit door. She would cook everything and sit at the table talking and eating after com- ing from her work selling vegetables in the market that started at 5 in the morning. I always wondered how she found the time and soul to enjoy life like that. When I was a teenager, she used to tell me: “A woman can do anything a man does. Many times, even better! If sometimes you may have to be discreet about it, it’s because society is always judging. But go out, discover, and have fun. Don’t forget to have fun.” She used to say to me, “This life is just a blink of God’s eye.”
Warm regards, Shikha Agarwal
75
76
SOURCE OF INSPIRATION
LETTERS TO MOTHERS
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker