Blog Challenge: Day 22

Who is your hero?

Now, when people get asked this question they think of powerful people around the world, people that have done something good for the world, artists, etc. When I first read this question it took me a few days to mull it over to come up with the best answer... here is what I wrote down as it stroke me!

As I was walking to the coffee place along the canal, Nelson's, to meet up with H... I began to think about all the main people that shaped my life.. of course there are plenty; however, the main person that really influenced me was Boppie, her real name Naoma Ferguson. The Wonderful Woman I was named after, she is the one I see the most of in me. She was the one that spiked my interest in design, photography, books, traveling. Naoma Ferguson was the woman that told me to follow my dreams, no matter how crazy she believed that I could become anything. She was the first one to notice just how special I was/am.

When I was born, she switched her entire life around. She stopped drinking, smoking and for once she showed her family the sweet side that I only knew. She was sweet, loving, tender, caring and full of illusions. Naoma wanted to teach me how to sew so I could be the Fashion Designer that I used to say I wanted to be, she bought me a camera when I told her I was going to make a superbe photographer.

But what I never noticed until now, was that she shaped me into the perfect person for me. She taught me everything I needed to know to follow my path in life! She told me that the world was open to explore and that one must venture out to discover bits of ourselves that we never thought would exist. She taught me my passion for baking [every saturday I boked her a cake because she loved sweets so much..] she taught me to cook my frist meal: pancakes. She always had a book with a tissue as her bookmark. I would see it in her hand, on her walker, in her purse, on her lap, laying on chest after she had fallen asleep, on her bedside table next to her glass of water. She encouraged me to read but never forced. She would let me stay up as late I wanted, hence my insomnia. She wanted me to put on fashion shows, she wanted to see me build a fort or make up my own games when I was young.

I know most heroines are supposed to be leaders of nations, or inventors but my heroine is my great grandmother. The woman I am trying to become while still being myself. And there are nights when I ask myself... "Would she be proud if she met me now? What would she say? What would she recommend? Would she have more advice for me in life? Would we still watch MASH together? Would she assure me that my life isn't being wasted? Would she just ooze out happiness which was cause by the result of who I am today?"