“A mother’s arms are more comforting than anyone else’s.” – Princess Diana
Mother was born perfect in Grobogan 48 years ago. Perhaps since the first time she saw and felt the world, perfection has been ingrained in her to the core of her life, where she always wants to make herself and everything related to her and her life perfect. Things like spouse, children, place of residence, personality, attitude and religious beliefs and ideals in life; she always tries to make them perfect.
She is my mother. A strong, devout and intelligent woman. The main source of inspiration in my life. She is a unique and profound picture of perfection to me. Through her gentleness, wisdom and unconditional love, my mother shaped who I am today. She still retains her youthful flames to this day. Her willpower is still blossoming today, needing a platform and effort to vent all those desires that she could not realize when she was young.
My mother’s full name is Sri Murtiningsih. She is the third of eight children. This made her a driven woman. Her soul was dynamic. She could not just accept the misfortune that befell her life and the life of her family. Her parents worked as farmers with little income. She struggled to make ends meet to help her parents and other siblings, who had been split up to seek their own fortunes.
Mother often tells stories about her life as a child. I don’t know, maybe it’s to commemorate her unusual past or for the kids to learn from her life stories. One thing I know about myself in her; she loves to cook like I do, she loves to be creative like I do and she loves traveling to new places like I do.
My mother’s love for the culinary world has been immense since childhood. Although her life was simple, her desire to turn food into delicious dishes never faded. She learned to cook from her mother and honed her skills using recipe books passed down from generation to generation.
One day, a cooking competition was held in the village as part of a traditional celebration. My mother saw this as an opportunity to gauge her cooking skills. Full of enthusiasm and determination, she registered as a participant and started planning her special meal.
My grandmother was the main supporter of my mother’s spirit, always providing moral support and even helping her find the best ingredients at the local market. Despite their financial limitations, they always try to provide the best for their small family.
Mother decided to make traditional cuisine with her own creative touch. She blends local spices with modern cooking techniques and creates a unique harmony of flavors. She practiced for days with dedication, experimenting with different spices and cooking techniques to achieve the perfect taste.
The day of the competition arrived and mother looked amazing with her delicious food preparation. The judges were impressed with her skill and creativity. She won first place, bringing pride to her family and village.
This victory not only changed people’s perception of my mother, but also inspired many villagers. She is an example that love and dedication in pursuing one’s passion can bring success to anyone. In particular, women living in rural areas feel motivated to realize their dreams, despite limitations.
My mother is not one to rest on her laurels. She opened a stall in her village that offered delicious food to the community. Her shop was a popular spot for villagers and outsiders alike. In the process of developing her business, my mother was assisted by her three younger sisters and close neighbors. The capital earned by my mother was used to store raw cooking ingredients and upgrade equipment such as fryers, woks and also many other electronic products.
Mother hopes that her food business will continue to grow so that she can open a bigger restaurant and also employ more people close to her so that they can be equally empowered. She also hopes that her business will become more popular with consumers in the fierce competition with other entrepreneurs.
Because of her determination and spirit, she has always been able to face these obstacles and difficult times. She is proud to be able to pay for her younger siblings’ education. Her success and determination are proof that with hard work and passion, anyone can succeed in their small business. Her success is not only in the culinary world, but also as an inspiring example in life.
I am writing this while occasionally looking at a photo of my mother in the Holy Land of Mecca. Visiting the holy land was one of my mother’s ambitions and desires and it was realized with the prayers she prayed at night.
Now my mother has become an inspiring mother who taught me about the purpose of life, taught me to face the cruelty of life and also taught me to love and care for others. Not to forget, she taught me independence. I don’t know how many things she taught me to keep me going. I don’t know how many prayers, sweat and sacrifices she made for me. I can’t even count them all.
In her children too, she instilled discipline and being the best person possible. She always hoped for me, so that I would not regret it in my old age. She taught me to always try by praying, studying and praying. She always believed that the key to success in life is to ask God and try. She was angry if we were lazy, she was angry if I was wasteful, and she didn’t like seeing me wake up late. Getting up early for the girls was five o’clock not seven o’clock.
As I get older every year, there are not many things I have sacrificed for her that he has sacrificed. The money I have accumulated through my hard work may not be enough to compensate for her sacrifices from the time I was born to raising me. However, even though I failed to repay his sacrifices, she never stopped loving me, because deep down he expected nothing but my devotion to her.
By: Rahma Luthfiani Harira Wahid
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