5 Generations

I've been feeling very nostalgic lately since I've been seeing many old family photos. This photo is of 5 generations of mothers/daughters. I understand that this is indeed quite a rare thing. The woman in red is my great great grandmother, Josephine Ligarzewski. Her daughter is in the white shirt to her right, which is my great grandmother Hedwig (Hattie) Martin. Her daughter is to the left of my great great grandmother, and that is my grandma, Patricia Ritchie (hmmm intersting right, yeah, I'm named after her), to her left is my mommy, Debbie DiToto, and the baby in the picture is me, Patricia Ritchie.

I think that it is amazing to have something like this. Such a strong tradition of mothers to daughters. While I have no memories of my great great grandmother, I do have some of my great grandma Martin. I remember she had loose, soft flabby skin on the underside of her arms. I used to stroke it with my hand because it was soft and hit it softly. I remember making meatballs at the round table upstairs in the dining room. (My bedroom growing up used to be a dining room before it became my bedroom) I remember drawing houses on paper with her on the couch. She was a fantastic scenic artist. We have some of her art hanging up in the house. I have glimpses of other memories about her but can't put the words together to describe the picture. I know that might sound weird, but it just is. One of my most vivid memories of her is from her viewing after she died. I think the memory is slightly tainted by recollections my mom had but I remember seeing her at the viewing and talking to her. I thought she was sleeping. I was four and it was October.

Memories are wonderful. I've been truly blessed to have amazing maternal bonds in my life. My grandmother watched me during the day while my mom was at work. She used to watch my cousins too but I was lucky enough to be with her full time. My mother and I lived with my grandparents until I was 14 years old. (that's when my mom married my popadoodle and we moved in to our house) But I remember songs my grandma used to sing to me to go to sleep, I remember sitting in the recliner with her, I remember eating Social Tea cookies, and much more. Even in my adulthood the memories keep growing. We now swap books together since we are both bookworms. In one respect I am a mini Patsy.

In another respect, I am my mother. My mother is my best friend and my toughest critic. She has always demanded excellence from me and never lets me settle for second best. She pushes me to achieve my dreams and she gave up so much in order to guide me down that route. I am the woman I am today because of my mother. I have many memories of my mother and continue to make more into my adulthood. My mother wrote me a song she used to sing to me at nighttime:
"You're the light at the end of the tunnel,
The rainbow after the storm,
When those nights are long and cold,
You're there to keep me warm"
She was there for me for every heartache, heartbreak, failure, success, happiness, dissappointment, achievement, and every life moment I've had. She's been in my corner no matter what and no matter what time, place, or circumstance. I know that I can always count on my mom and that when I'm a mom I want to be just like her. She truly has made me the woman I am today.