I’ve spent some time lately reflecting on my life. It started with the anniversary of my mother’s death on June 26th. It’s been seventeen years now since she passed. I can’t believe that I’ve lived on this earth all those years without her! She was here for 83 years, and I was a very lucky woman to have been so loved. It was an honor to be her daughter.
My mother was inspired to be the first to bring Caesar Salad Dressing into food markets.
When she introduced Lorraine Burton’s Caesar Salad Dressing, my mother would stand for hours (with confidence in her product) demonstrating her dressing. She first started actually selling it at the famous Farmers Market in Los Angeles and slowly spread out to other ones.
Prior to her business, she had been part of The Lorraine Sisters, a famous singing group in the east during the forties.
I’m telling you this because I’m embracing, perhaps more than I ever have, my mother’s drive, ambition, confidence, and supreme risk taking.
My mother was working out in the forties and even went to a gym before it ever became popular. I remember watching her swim laps in the apartment building where we lived at six o’clock in the morning before she went to work. And she always ate healthy foods. My lunch box had carrots and celery instead of too many sweets.
My mother taught me how to be a mother. She was lenient, yet strong. She would let me go with caution. She trusted me, and she was also my best friend. We had fun together, and she loved music. She was one heck of a fun grandmother as well. I can feel her as I play with my granddaughters. I see her playing with my daughter.
I’ve also been thinking of the other females in my ancestry. My aunts and grandmothers all passed, but each holding a deeply ingrained essence in my spirit. I am proud that I “wear” some of the fundamental qualities of each of my female ancestors.
The women in my life are front and center as I watch my daughter with my two granddaughters. They are next in line, and they are magnificent. I am blessed beyond all words.
I give thanks to all the women who have blessed my life and deeply influenced it. They have paved the way with their talent, love, impact, guidance and inspiration. They would be amazed at what their children and children’s children have accomplished.
I just wanted to remind us all that those who have come before us still have so much to teach us. All we have to do is ask the questions…and trust the answer.