Tribute to My Mum

It has been twenty years since my mum passed away.
After writing a tribute to my dad last year, I felt I wanted to write one for her as well. This post, like the previous one, is more personal and somewhat outside the usual scope of this Substack, but as I’ve said before, I write primarily for myself.

My mum was a strong woman. She fought cancer for more than seven years, through moments of hope and moments of hardship. Throughout that long battle, she did everything she could for our family: for my dad, for my sister, and for me. Even while carrying her own pain, she always put others first.

Like my dad, my mum was a teacher. In fact, they met at work. She taught educazione artistica (art) in middle school and, for three years, she was also my teacher. I still remember waiting for her outside the classroom when her lessons ended, small moments that remain vivid even after all this time.

My mum was deeply creative. She loved art and painting, especially before her illness. We still have her paintings at home, quiet reminders of her talent, her sensitivity, and the way she saw the world.

She devoted much of her time to caring for the family, cleaning our home, and cooking for us. Holidays, like Christmas, are still difficult because they inevitably bring back memories of the incredible meals she used to prepare and the warmth she created around the table.

My mum had an exceptionally good heart; she was so genuine and transparent. I admired her deeply, and I hope that some of her traits (honesty, empathy, strength) live on in me.

She understood me like no one else. She could read me instinctively, always took my side, and believed strongly in my potential. She wanted me to succeed at school and in life, and she taught me the importance of discipline as a foundation for achieving meaningful goals.

From her, I learned resilience. I learned that life can be unfair, but that some things are worth fighting for, no matter how difficult the path becomes.

She also had a light spirit. She knew how to balance discipline with humor, how to make people laugh, and how to bring energy into the family. The final phase of her illness inevitably changed that dynamic, but I choose to remember her as she was for most of her life, with a smile, looking at me with warmth and care.

Twenty years may sound like a long time, but I still miss her. Sometimes I feel sad thinking about all the moments of my life she didn’t get to see. At the same time, I feel deeply proud that she was my mum and grateful that I had twenty-three years with her.

This is a picture of her, and below is a picture of our family when I was little, moments frozen in time, but never truly gone.

My mum showed me that leadership is not defined by authority, but by resilience, discipline, and care for others. She led through example, consistency, and quiet strength. Those values continue to shape how I hope to approach leadership and life today.