COLOUR MY WORLD

Several people have asked me what inspired my blog's name but it came to me quite naturally because I considered what inspires me. What colours my world.

I was raised around really strong women. Faithful, loyal, innovative and hard working. Even though the Lebanese culture is seeded around women taking on very traditional roles of nurturing and home-making, I have never felt silenced or pressured by this mentality. If anything, the women in my family are opinionated, wilful and driven, and have managed to fulfil the roles of wives and mothers, in addition to running business empires and establishing successful careers.

I was always encouraged to seek independence, express my thoughts and feelings and find my inner strength.

I have been blessed enough to inherit even more strong and respectable women role models through my marriage, and these women also influence me constantly. I see how they exude confidence and compassion, and try to learn from them wherever I can.

So, as I am inspired by the women that have formed me, I considered the matriarchs of my families. My grandmothers. I was blessed enough to know both my parent's mothers. My Granny Gina and my Sitto, grandmother in Lebanese, Norma, both played vital roles in my evolution as a woman.

Gina was a true lady in every sense of the word. Her olive skin always glowed and her eyes were kind and playful. She had an impeccable sense of style and I remember her always smelling so beautiful. Her hair was always done and delicate jewellery could be found decorating her ears, neck and wrists. She always carried herself with grace and dignity. She raised three daughters on her own, and still showed enough humility to take in the mother of her estranged husband. What a testimony to her compassion.

Norma is a woman strong of faith. She is completely dedicated to her family and she showed incredible strength and commitment when caring for my ill Jiddo, grandfather, for several years. She is loving and warm, and I can always go to her for advice inspired by the heart. Our hands and nails are identical and our 'green fingers' too.

Through marriage, I inherited a third grandmother, or Avo as we call her. She lives in Portugal but I have met her several times. She can barely speak English, so one would assume that communication is a challenge, but she just hugs and kisses me, a lot, as a form of affection and approval. The very first time I met her, she managed to express, with some help from my husband, that I was her granddaughter, and I fell in love with her vibrant and cheeky spirit. She has a special bond with, Augusto and although she has lead a very difficult life, she remains young at heart.

So Regina, my maternal grandmother, and Rosa, my husband's maternal grandmother inspired my blog's name. They are both female figures that I look up to but more importantly, they represent the other influential women I am lucky enough to know.