Who is Stregga?

Stregga??  What does Stregga mean? Who is Stregga

   I used to be myself,  a daughter, sister, student, friend, best friend, 

can't forget employee, coworker.

 Then I was Anthony's wife, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law,  neighbor, Auntie. 

Then I was MOM, then it was Carrie or Chad's Mom.  I was even substitute mom to some of their friends. 

Then it was mother-in-law, and then NaNa.

 Trying to get my first grandson to say something that sounded like grandmother, I wouldn't have cared if he called me any sound that resembled anything close to grandmother.

Somehow (after months of prodding) he came up with what sounded like NaNa it could have been ahgoo but, I swore it was NaNa.

 When I became NaNa  ( quite a bit ahead of schedule).. I always thought there would be a big space between motherhood and grandkids) that I started to really understand what life was all about.

When I became a grandmother all my views on life started to change.   

I realized that who I was wasn't about how much stuff I had or  what size house we lived in or what job I had of even what car I drove. (more about that later)

My first born grandson Nikko taught me so much about life that I missed when I was raising my own kids.

Too bad I couldn't have know this new found joy when my own children were growing up. I remember thinking (and even saying it aloud to my neighbor ) when we were having a really bad day "When do the joys of motherhood come" not knowing that I was living the joys of motherhood. 

I now  know that I wouldn't have cared so much if everything was all tidy in the house (not that it always was). 

 Or, if I felt overwhelmed with the day to day activities that kept me so busy, too busy to enjoy the little things in life that passed by without me seeing them.

Like just sitting and pretending that we were the 3 bears his favorite story that we had to recite daily and had to act it out in our formal living room over and over and over.

Or playing 'I see" while driving.   I see something green what could it be? 

I was so lucky to have Nikko and his parents live with us for the first 3 years of his life.

It was like a grandmothers dream come true.

   All the joys of motherhood but, none of the real responsibility of it!!  

Of course  I did have to learn that there were boundaries!

Actually, I'm still learning that lesson. 

Well, Now lets get to the real Stregga.

When my daughter got married to her wonderful husband he was trying out different names to call me.

I guess my real name just wasn't special enough.  So one day while talking about a Childrens book he saw, I somehow became Stregga (of course it wasn't said in a normal voice it was more like "STRAGAAAAAAAAAAAAA).

So for a few years before they had children he always called me that.

It actually is means some kind of witch craft in Italy.

At first it sounded a little weird to be called Streggaaaaaaaaaa , then it became quite endearing to have my own special title.   

  I of course tell everyone who asks that it means witch.   The good witch of course!!

For a few years no one else was allowed to call me Stregga I'm sure no one else would dare.

Until one day when I was presented a very special book called Strega Nona and the Magic Pasta Pot.

I knew it could only mean one thing I was going to be a grandmother to another lucky baby!!!

Little did I know that day that it was going to be twins!