Heidi is Celebrating Her Mother Because…

Heidi is a CMMB employee

My mom’s name:

Mary Piowaty

I am Celebrating My Mother Because:

she is a rock solid, feisty, funny, brilliant and generous woman. She makes things happen and inspires others to take action. My mom somehow manages to be as sparkly and bright as a shining star and as comforting and accessible as a warm cup of tea all, at the same time.

How my mother has inspired me: 

One story that demonstrates how committed my mom was to us and how lucky I was to learn from her comes from family mealtime.

When we were young, my mom and dad both worked full time, my mom during the day and my dad the swing shift. As hard as it was for them to work and sleep on opposite schedules, my mom was so committed to ensuring that we spent time together as a family and that we were instilled with the traditions of breaking bread and engaging with each other in meaningful ways, that she would cook delicious healthy meals each evening, then pack up those same meals in Tupperware containers, load up all of us kids in the car and drive to the hospital, where we would proceed to take over a table and eat a home cooked meal in the hospital cafeteria with my dad on his dinner break. We would then pack everything back in the car and head home for homework and jeopardy viewing.

In addition to her dedication to our family, my mom taught me the value of community engagement. From the early days of volunteering by her side at the recycling center and watching her advocate for the respiratory health of our community at public hearings to enjoying beautiful trails and historic sites that she helped preserve and seeing her lead four generations of women as they marched for women’s rights, my mom has stood up for what is right and helped to make this world a better place.

My hope for this mother’s day is that my mom feels surrounded by love and gratitude and that she can truly witness some of the good that she has put out there into this world coming back around in the form of happier, healthier, and more peaceful people.