A Mother's Love

"Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 'Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.'" -Proverbs 21:38-39

Mother's Day is the day in which we pay tribute and homage to all mothers. Where would we be if not for the love of our mothers, grand-mothers, and aunties? On this Mother's Day, I think back to being a young child and singing "Faith of our Mothers" in church on those bright, spring mornings. Reflecting on the words of that song brought back fond memories of growing up surrounded by the love, support, protection, and counsel of amazing women: my mother, my grandmothers, my great-grandmother, and a host of aunties. I thank God for blessing me with such a strong tribe of women who through God's guidance molded and shaped me into the woman and mother that I am today. In today's society, many aspire to be like super heroes we often see on television and in the movies such as Wonder Woman. These magnificent "sheroes" with super human strength can run faster than a speeding bullet and defeat enemies with nothing but sheer will and a magical, golden lasso. However, when I think about the super-heroes that I want to emulate, I think of the women-the mothers- who define for me the meaning of perseverance. I think of the mothers who showed me how to stretch a dollar and make ends meet in hard times. I think of mothers who showed me how to take care of a family and a home. I think of mothers who instilled in me the importance of getting an education so that I could have doors and opportunities opened to me of which they could only dream. I think of mothers who had no problem using the rod and taught us about the Lord Jesus. I think of mothers who often times worked from sunup to sundown as domestics and in factories making far less than the minimum wage, but who were able to use their income to keep food on the table and clothes on our backs. From their example, they showed me what love is. They loved God, family, neighbor, church, and community. They supported each other, loved, each other, and would always help each other and anyone in need. These mothers would go to church every Sunday and praised God-no matter the circumstance they found themselves because they understood that all of their help came from the Lord. They modeled what faith looks like and what it means to trust in the Lord. They taught us about God and made sure we were in Sunday school and church. They knew that life was hard and understood that as long as we had Jesus as our anchor, we could just as they did, endure all of life's challenges and triumphs. These mothers are my heroes. When I find myself at a lost and unsure of what to do, I think about them and pull from the source of knowledge that they instilled in me. I love these mothers dearly and praise God for blessing me with them. They are the mothers that I celebrate today and everyday. I am most proud of their legacy because it is upon their shoulders that I now stand. My prayer is that I am for my son, nieces, nephews, and cousins half of the amazing example that these mothers were and still are to me. All of my aunties (those who I am still blessed to see and those who have transitioned from this physical life), my great-grandmother, Bertha Whitaker; my grandmothers, Coreen Gardner and Louise Timmons; and of course and especially, my mother Julia Whitaker, are the wind beneath my wings. It is because of them, that I am. (Rest in Peace: Nanny, Grandma, Ma Bertha, Aunt Dorothy, Aunt Effie, Aunt Daisy, Aunt Marjorie, Aunt Madeline, and Aunt Maybelle-Thank you! Love always, until we meet again).

Faith of our mothers, living still

In cradle song and bedtime prayer;

In nursery lore and fireside love,

Thy presence still pervades the air.

Faith of our mothers, living faith,

We will be true to thee till death.