My parents were married in 1944. Dad was a quiet and intelligent man who was 17 when he left Italy. Soon after, a hit-and-run accident left him with a permanent limp. Dad worked hard selling candy to Chicago office workers on their break. He had little formal schooling. His English was self-taught. Yet he eventually built a small, successful wholesale candy business. Dad was generous, handsome and deeply religious. Mama was devoted to him.
After she married, my mother quit her job and gave herself to her family. In 1950, with three children, Dad moved the family to a farm 40 miles from Chicago. He worked the land and commuted to the city to run his business. Mama said good-by to her parents and friends and traded her busy city neighborhood for a more isolated life. But she never complained. By 1958, our modest white farmhouse was filled with six children, and Mama was delighted.
Think Big. My mother never studied books on parenting. Yet she knew how to raise children. She heightened our self-esteem and helped us reach our potential.
One fall day, I sat at the kitchen table while Mama peeled potatoes. She spied Dad out the window on his tractor and smiled."Your father has accomplished so much." she said proudly. "He really is somebody."
My mother wanted each of us to be somebody too."Your challenge is to be everything you can. Mine is to help." she always said.
She read to us every day and used homemade flash cards to teach us phonetics. She bolstered our confidence, praising even our most ordinary accomplishments. When I was ten, I painted a stack of wooden crates white and nailed them together to make a wobbly bookcase."It' s wonderful!" Mama exclaimed."Just what we need." She used it for many years.
In the dining room are two paint-by-number pictures that my sister Gloria and brother Leo did as kids. Several years ago, Leo commented that the pictures weren' t very good and offered to take them down. But Mama wouldn' t hear of it."They are there to remind you how much you could accomplish even as children." she said.
From the very beginning, she urged us to think big. One day, after visiting our grandparents on the South Side, she made Dad detour past the Prudential Building construction site. Mama explained that when finished, the 41-story building would be Chicago' s tallest."Maybe someday one of you can design a building like this." she said.
Her confidence in us was infectious. When my sister Carla was 12, she announced she was going to be a lawyer.
"You can do that." Mama said. "You can do anything you put your mind to."
Tour Guide. To Mama, education was a key part of her blueprint for success. Four of us went to a nearby, one-room school-house. My mother made up for its shortcomings by getting us educational toys, talking to us about history, politics and current events, and helping with home-work. The best part of getting a good report card was her unstinting praise.
When I was in the third grade, she urged our teacher to organize a field trip to Chicago museums. My mother helped the teacher rent a bus and plan the trip. She even served as tour guide, pointing out landmarks and recounting local history.
When it came time to think about college, there was never a question that we' d all go. Inspired by our parents' sacrifice, we studied hard to earn scholarships, and applied for grants and financial aid. We also took jobs to earn money for school. Working in a grocery store, I learned the value of a dollar. "Work is a blessing." Mama always reminded us.
She never asked for anything for herself. "You don' t have to buy me a birthday present." she said one time. "Instead write me a letter about yourself. Tell me about your life. Is anything worrying you? Are you happy?"...
妈妈的脸上洋溢着骄傲的光芒。我知道，我们所取得的和将要取得的每一点成就，都是我们的父母所赐。
在我们还是小孩子的时候，妈妈便是我们的良师益友。直到我长大成人，才意识到她是多么不平凡。
甘于奉献。母亲是在意大利北部的一个小镇出生的。1926年，她的父母移民到这个国家的时候，她才3岁。他们一家居住在芝加哥南区，在那里，我的外祖父做着冰淇淋生意。
在这个喧嚣的都市氛围中，妈妈茁壮成长着。16岁的时候，她以第一名的成绩从高中毕业，进入到文秘学校学习，并最终在铁路公司做行政秘书工作。
妈妈长得也很漂亮。当地的一位摄影师用她的照片作每月的橱窗展示，这令妈妈的心里美滋滋的。她最喜欢那张坐在密歇根湖畔的照片，照片上她眺望着远方，头发被风吹拂着。妈妈常说，一个人死去的时候，上帝就会将“最完美的自我”归还给他。她喜欢拿这张照片给我们看，她说：“这就是我在天堂的样子。”
妈妈在1944年与父亲结了婚。父亲虽然少言寡语，却是一个很聪明的人。他17岁便离开了意大利。之后不久，他遭遇了一场肇事司机逃逸的交通事故，而这次事故让他永远成为了跛脚。父亲在芝加哥办公大楼里的工作人员休息的时候，向他们兜售糖果，他很勤奋地工作着。父亲没受过什么正规的教育，他的英语都是自学的。然而，他终于有了一家自己的小店，成功地做着糖果批发生意。爸爸不仅慷慨大方、相貌堂堂，还是一个虔诚的教徒。妈妈深深地爱上了他。
结婚后，妈妈辞去工作，做起了家庭主妇。1950年，父亲带着母亲和3个孩子搬到一片农场居住，那里距离芝加哥有40英里。他既要做农田里的活，还要去城里做生意。妈妈离开她的父母和朋友，告别身边喧嚣的城市，过起了离群索居的生活。然而，母亲从来没有抱怨过。到了1958年，我们这座简朴的农舍里有了6个孩子，母亲很高兴。
胸怀大志。妈妈从来没有看过育儿方面的书籍，但她知道该如何养育她的孩子们。她提升我们的自尊心，帮助我们发挥自己的潜能。
秋日里的一天，我坐在餐桌前，妈妈正削着土豆皮。她透过窗子看到爸爸坐在拖机上笑了，她自豪地说：“你爸爸取得了这么多的成就，他真是个了不起的人！”
妈妈希望我们每个人也都能成为了不起的人。她总是说：“你们的挑战就是做你能做之事，而我的挑战则是帮助你们去完成它们。”
她每天都会读书给我们听，还用自制的卡片教我们学语音。对于我们取得的最普通的小成就，母亲也会进行表扬，以此来增强我们的信心。10岁的时候，我把一对木板涂成白色，把他们钉在一起制成了一个不牢固的书架。“太棒了！”妈妈称赞道，“我们正需要一个书架呢！”这个摇摇晃晃的书架母亲一用就是很多年。
我家的餐厅里挂着两张按数字涂颜色的，那是姐姐格罗丽亚和哥哥利欧小时候的。几年前，利欧说那两幅不是很好看，提议把它们取下来，母亲没有同意。她说：“它们挂在那里是要提醒你们，孩提时的你们也是那么的能干。”
从一开始，母亲就要求我们要胸怀大志。一天，在看望过居住在南区的外祖父母之后，母亲让父亲绕路而行，带着我们经过普鲁登希尔大厦的施工场地。母亲为我们解释说，工程竣工后，这座41层的大楼将成为芝加哥最高的建筑物。“或许有一天，你们当中的也能设计出这样的建筑物。”
母亲对我们的信心深深地感染了我们。12岁的姐姐卡宣称，她将来要成为一名律师。
“你一定能的。世上无难事，只怕有心人。”妈妈对她说。
人生向导。对于妈妈而言，教育是她成功蓝图的一个重要部分。我们四兄妹去了附近只有一间教室的学校上学。通过为我们找来一些有教育意义的玩具，同我们一起探讨历史、政治和时事，帮助我们做好作业，母亲为我们弥补了学校教学的不足之处。取得优异成绩后，她对我们的赞扬是最好的事情。
当我读到三年级的时候，母亲劝说我们的老师组织一次芝加哥博物馆的实地参观。她还帮老师租借了汽车，安排了行程。母亲甚至还当起了向导，指出一些标志性建筑，讲述了当地历史。
到该考虑上大学的事情时，我们毫无疑问的都要去上。我们被父母所作出的牺牲鼓舞着，大家都努力地学习以获得学士学位，申请助学金和财政补助。我们也都找了工作，自己挣钱上学。在一家杂货铺打工的过程中，我懂得了一美元所包含的价值。母亲总是提醒我们牢记：“工作就是幸福。”