“Ingredients to good life begins with a centered life.”
Recently, I interviewed my cousin Helen about her mother Sornathai who was a Nonagenarian. See Helen’s response in light font.
How old was your mom when she died? She was 98 years old and 9 months.
Did she live alone? No. Most of her life she lived with us (daughters). She babysat her grandchildren in her 70s and she loved to cook for her family.
What would you attribute her long life to? Foremost, God’s grace since nearly all of my mother’s friends and acquaintances passed away before she did. My Mom’s faith, positive attitude, exercise and her diet helped her to live a long life. She used stationary bike and walked even in her early 90s.
What made your Mom happy? She was always dependent on God; never depressed. She like to laugh a lot. Even in her later years, she would giggle over funny memories.
Can you tell me about your Mom’s teaching career? In India, my Mom taught from first grade through 8th grade for over 38 years. In fact, she was first teacher for her youngest brother whom she used to carry to school. She developed patience teaching classroom sizes as large as 60 students. As a result she retained her loud, teacher voice till her passing.
What did your Mom like to eat? She ate Indian food mainly. She didn’t care for pizza or any food item with cheese. For breakfast, she would eat either Idli, Dosa or savory oatmeal. Her daily diet included rice, dal, sambar, yogurt, vegetables as okra, and eggplant. She loved mangos. They were a treat for her.
What kind of spices did your Mom use frequently? Her favorite spices were turmeric, coriander, chili powder, and cumin. She would use other spices as mustard seed, fenugreek seeds, and curry leaf. She garnished her food with mint leaf. Off course, most of these spices have medicinal values. Fenugreek is good for lowering blood sugar.
What kind of hobbies did your Mom have? When she was a young child she loved to play cricket, and basketball. As an adult in India, she was involved with church, embroidery and cross-stitch. She used to help fix our school uniforms. Also, she kept her mind active by reading lots of books, literature and following news.
How did your Mom face hardship? She was very quiet and didn’t share her problems with others. She had strong faith in God
How has your Mom’s life inspired you? She encourage us a lot. She did not worry too much. She had lots of patience. She liked to laugh. Her passion was education. She wanted us children to attain highest education, possible. Her thought was we can survive in this country as Immigrants as long as we are well educated even if other things perish around us.
