Write@Home
Winter 2015

Family

Cropped shot of a senior woman holding hands

I have great respect and admiration for my grandmother. She was an outstanding woman who fought all odds and succeeded in giving a happy and dignified life not only to her own family but to many other families in her village.

After World War II ended, the situation in the small village where she lived with her family, got very bad because many soldiers from the village who had gone to the war, either died or were badly injured. The financial situation of these families became very difficult. My grandmother's family was one of them because my grandfather was severely injured in the war.

My grandmother, instead of suffering and waiting for some help, rebelled against the culture of those times in the village that required women to stay at home and not worry about finances. She had a big family and a handicapped husband to care for, so she made a big decision – to go against the family tradition and work to earn money. She started weaving carpets and started earning a reasonable income; however, she did not stop there. Slowly she opened a small factory and hired women from her village who were in the same situation as her.

Her small venture grew into a successful business. My grandmother thus succeeded in making life better not only for her family but also for many others in her village. She also became an excellent role model for women in our family and I am very thankful to her for that. Thank you Jadati!