Famlily Album

My mother’s name is Ofelia Plascencia; she was born April 2nd, 1958 in Guadalajara, Jalisco. She is the oldest child out of eight brothers and sisters. My mother always claims that she never enjoyed her childhood. As soon as she was old enough to take care of her brothers and sisters, her parents went off to work. She had a lot of responsibilities in the house which included watching the kids, changing the dippers, cleaning the house, doing laundry, and cooking meals. She enjoyed cooking the most. I believe this is how she became an excellent cook.

When my mom first began to cook she did not have a clue what to do. She couldn’t even boil water for the beans because the water would evaporate into the air. My grandfather would get furious because my mom would not have supper ready before he would get home. My grandmother was never present in the house she would work from five o’clock in the morning to ten at night. My grandfather, Jose, taught my mother how to cook when he decided to work from home. He built a room near the kitchen to watch the kids and to give my mom cooking instructions. The first recipes that my mom mastered were breakfast meals. She was able to cook eggs in different ways. One day she would do scramble eggs, another over easy, or she would just cut vegetables and meat to cook with the eggs.

As my mother got older, she began to have an interest in different cooking styles. She was interested in finding new recipes and trying them out. When she would drop off her brothers and sisters at school, she would stay and chat with other ladies about new recipes she could explore. While exploring others recipes, she began to create her own unique way of cooking. For example, she took the ordinary beef lasagna and twisted its flavors by adding shrimp instead of meat and different kinds of vegetables. Ever since that recipe, she developed a sense of creativity with food.

Now my mother has become my family's cooking expert. She loves watching the food channel and always thinks about something new. I once dreamed that my mother was about to die in the hospital. She seemed to be in intensive care and I all of sudden told her she couldn’t die without giving me all of her recipes. Since that dream, I created my own recipe book. Everyday during the summer, I would write down the meals she would serve for the family. Those many years of cooking has always brought the entire family together to enjoy each others company with a delicious meal.

My mother Ofelia still is a great cook but aging always catches up to everyone, and she will soon forget or will be unable to cook all the delicious recipes she has created. This is why I believe it is important to be to be taught her famous recipes, so I can pass them on to future generations. One day I wish to publish her scrumptious recipes.

Struggles

Overcoming challenges requires immense will power and determination. I have faced many tough challenges, but the most difficult has been being able to forgive my mom. A mother should give to her child tenderness, maternal love, and protecting care. My mom failed to follow the definition of a caregiver.

My story begins in the fall of August 2004; I was molested by my step father. I told my mom about what had happen and she refused to believe me. She told me that I was trying to separate her from my step dad because I wanted her to get back with my father. At that moment in time I felt the world was coming down on me, and it wasn’t going to get any better. I couldn’t believe that my own mother would say that to me. I thought she was the mother that is defined in every dictionary. Being denied that comfort that I needed was the worst feeling ever. I wouldn’t wish that to any enemy of mine. I was torn from the inside. Every time I would remember it brought more pain than the next thought I had.

I immediately informed my sisters about what had happen to me. They instantly removed me from my mother’s home and I began to live with my oldest sisters. Living with my sisters was not an easy thing to do, but I had to adjust. It was uncomfortable at one point but they are my sisters and I need their help. Since that day I knew that I had to grow up on my own. I began to work for a company called hub cities. The money I would earn would be the money I lived off of. Even though I lived with my sisters that didn’t mean they would give me money for every little thing I needed. Ever since that situation happened my sisters became my new mothers.

From that day on I didn’t speak to my mother. It was so difficult for me because I was extremely hurt. My sisters encouraged me to talk to her, but I needed my own time to reflect. As timed passed I thought about the pros and cons if I would begin to talk to my mom. I realized that I needed to forgive her. Ever since I was small I was taught to forgive others because it makes you a better person and in return we receive an untold peace and happiness. I was aware that her actions were unethical, but after all she is my mother. Planning is an important part of everything I do, so I thought about how I would first approach her. I needed to be the leader I was growing up to be and set an example. I began to talk to her the summer of 2005; little by little we began to build on our communication skills. We were beginning to building unity in a time of change.

I learned in order to overcome challenges we need a positive attitude, a positive mind and the right amount of determination and will power. Along with this we need to see that the many challenges in which we face are similar to a range of mountains. There is no way around them, and no short cuts to be taken. We have to climb each mountain to be able to move forward in order to reach our goals.