On this day, we celebrate Mother’s
all over the world for the wonderful individuals that they are in the life of
their family, but more specifically in the “Lives of Their Children”. Mother’s are Gifts from GOD and they hold a unique position in the family structure.
Knowing that this is “The Highest
Calling” for a woman, one should always cherish the moments and memories
entrusted to them in order to mold and shape the physical,
emotional/intellectual and spiritual development of their child… For this is
the fundamental bases upon which they build to structure a life that reflects the
training they received from a Virtuous Mother.
Love of a Mother
It’s funny have life unfolds… When I was young, my mother had another child
(Shawntavia or “Tavia”) when I was ten.
It was really odd because my young sister and I had been the only two
for so many years. But needless to say,
when our younger sister arrived we we’re excited that a new addition had joined
us.
Well years passed and she grew,
this was breath taking and new, to see a baby running around with this big beautiful
little smile. But after a while that
smile of mine became a bit of a frown because as the oldest, I was responsible for
looking after her too.
Tavia Sitting at My Desk (PSD, Cecil Field) |
But, here’s the irony in that
course of events. My mother passed and many
years later, I became the legal guardian over that little girl when I was just
24 years old… Yes, a young enlisted
military woman who was in essence discovering the ropes of life on her own.
Tavia had not yet turned 14, when
she came to live with me…. I prepared as
best I could, with what I knew and making preparation to create a home that
would support us. Nervous about my
ability to do the task, I wondered if I was fit for such a job because here you
have a “baby raising a baby” per say and I was fairly young too.
I was an amateur at this and she
was a teen, so go figure… Here we are, I’m
at my first command, in a new city and we were both learning about one another again
(I’d previously been away in college before joining the military) and
navigating through our new roles, but I knew in my heart of hearts, no one
could do it better than me.
Not because of my employment with
the military (which made it possible), but it was my heart to see her grow, and
cover her from many of the hardships that I’d experienced, but more importantly
assist her with getting off to a much better start in her adult life.
Tavia and I having a few Laughs |
The Heart of a Sister
We had our challenges and our
highs and lows, but through it all, we managed.
I had to change my ways and previous mental conditioning and adjust to
make it work, for I was trying to rear my little sister based on how I was
raised.
I slowly learned through trial and error that
I couldn’t use the same child rearing methods (which didn’t work for her) because
we were of a different generation literately…
It took lots of prayer, introspection, spiritual growth and humility.
You see, parenting is no joke, especially
if you’re doing it alone. I also
realized that it doesn’t matter how “grown” one is in age either. So, in all modesty, I asked lots of questions
and sought out counsel from seasoned parents and those whom I trusted… But here’s the thing, I also talked
with her and communicated to her based on her level of maturity and
understanding.
Tavia and I in the Kitchen |
Tavia and I also spent as much
time as we could together and made the most of it, as I very quickly found out
that it’s the little things that count… She
taught me more than she’d ever know about what it takes to help make a child
grow. Not just to grow physically, but
what it takes to make them well rounded mentally.
Happy Mother’s Day!!! So on this special day, I’d like
to thank her from the bottom of my heart for trusting me and providing me with the
opportunity to be the best surrogate mother that I could be to her…
Now that she’s expecting, my prayer for her
is that she becomes the “Virtuous Mother for Her Baby.”
As a young woman and mother to be, remember to
let GOD Guide You. And for all that you
are, train your new baby to be, YES BE A GREATER REFLECTION of Thee... From
the LOVE OF A MOTHER, With THE HEART OF A SISTER, HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY NEW MOM TO BE!!
Mom To BE |