My mom, the socialite

Photo: Mom in white and my Thia Angeliki at their Marioli Villas on Paros.

Going anywhere with my mother is a marathon. Not necessarily good if you actually want to get somewhere in a hurry.

Every few steps she walks she's greeted by people she knows and has to stop and have a chat - and introduce them to me. 'This is my daughter, visiting from Australia'.

The woman knows EVERYONE.

She also knows everything about everyone. She really never stops talking. Walking down the street with her or in the car with her is like an ongoing commentary.

'See that house over there? Thats where your uncle's wife's first cousin used to live before he married the neighbours daughter and moved to xxx. You know they had 4 children and one of the boys now works at xxx and the other got engaged to a very nice girl and they now own xxx. Its such a pity about their mother though, she got sick about a year ago and she's been in and out of hospital. Do you remember xxx? Well, his brother's son married and has moved to xxx....'

And it goes on and on. About people I dont remember, don't know and don't really care about.

My father used to have one response to all of this. He would say to mom 'Theos 'horeston' which means 'My god rest his soul' as if the person being discussed was dead. It would annoy mom no end.

I'm nice. I say 'Na'ne kala o anthropos' which means 'may he/she be well.' LOL

My mom is a very social person. She has had some health issues in the last year but she's more active and has a fuller social life than either myself or my brother.

I once called Greece to speak to mom on a saturday night. Peter answered the phone. Mom was out. He said 'whats wrong with this picture? I'm a single guy and I'm at home on a Saturday night and my mother is out!'

I think its great that mom is so active. She's in her late 70s and till she had these recent health issues she was hard to keep up with. Her life consists of a circle of friends and family, but given the family is so huge there's always something going on. Someone's kid is always getting married, christened or having a birthday or a name day - thats when they celebrate the saints day after which they were born and in greek tradition its bigger than birthdays. Pity if you arent named after a saint but after a stone like me! My name is Zaphira, named after my dad's mother, and it means sapphire. Nice, but there's no St Zaphira so I never got a name day! :)

Mom's life is also full of funerals and memorials to people who've died. This afternoon she is going to church to take some kind of offering in for her mother. In Greece, honouring the dead is almost a fulltime job. There's the funeral first, then another ceremony at 40 days, another at 3 months and another at a year. There may even be a 6 month one. I have no idea. I know that after that you can take offerings in every year on the day.

Mom is at any and all of these that she can make it to. Its not just a way of honouring the dead, its also a great way to stay in touch with family you dont see often.

My mom is a great lady. As a kid I used to hate the way she was so easy going and so adaptable. She never complained about everything. She was of the 'make the best of it' belief. Now, looking back I can see how great a way of life that is. Living in the moment, in the now. Not complaining or holding grudges.

Garrison Keillor tells stories about his mother and her 'Life is what you make it, make the best of it' attitude. As a kid, that kind of thing is very annoying since it means you can't get what you want.

As much as she annoys me, she is my mother after all, I admire her greatly. I could only hope to be like her as I get older.

Photos are all of the Marioli Villas