A Tale of a MOTHER
“He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.”
Isaiah 40:11 NIV
The above is a foundational scripture for me when he comes to motherhood. I mean I CLING to this scripture and it is written on my heart. As I have reflected over this passage, one thing that I have noted is that being a parent is something that you cannot and should not do alone! The wonderful father that we have in God not only carries our children in his arms & gently guides us mothers but he gives us others in the figurative “flock” that can help us along this journey. I wanted to highlight some influential mothers in my own life.
MY MOMMA: What can I say about this woman here? Seriously, where do I start? When I say this woman is my biggest supporter and believes that I can literally do anything I am not exaggerating in this. Not only was my mom a constant in my life but, she also tried to ensure me and my sister had a good quality of life. She really thought about things that would enrich our lives & make us stronger and better women. Her goal was to expose us to things that she did not have. As a child I thought that everyone’s upbringing was like that and that everyone’s mother did those things but as I got older, I realize that was not everyone’s reality. And now as a mother of little children…as I sit & plan our activities with our kids, keeping in mind exposure & enriching their lives, I realize how my mom really was intentional with us. And might I add, this was a woman who worked a full time job! She truly is a super woman in my eyes! I stand in awe of the things that she accomplished and I strive every day to be just a fraction of that.
One of my favorite songs is ‘Mama’ by Boyz II Men. I am ALWAYS brought to tears with this song! The lyrics so accurately depict my feelings for my momma:
“You're always down for me
Have always been around for me even when I was bad
You showed me right from my wrong
Yes you did
And you took up for me
When everyone was downin' me
You always did understand
You gave me strength to go on
There ware so many times
Looking back when I was so afraid
And then you come to me and say to me
I can face anything
And no one else can do
What you have done for me
You'll always be, you will always be
The girl in my life”MY MOTHER IN LOVE: Me & Momma B have been on a journey but one thing that I can say FOR SURE is that we have UNCONDITIONALLY love for each other. This woman has shared & passed down family recipes & to be honest…taught me how to cook! She has given me so much nonjudgmental advice as a mother and I have found so much comfort in her. Many of you all know that we have had a go at it with our eldest daughter this year. Her temperament is very similar to my husband’s childhood temperament so my mother in love has been sheer gold during this time! We cry together, shop together, cook together…you name it!
MY SISTER: My big sister is like the BEST AUNT IN THE WORLD…so fight me on it. First off, my sister is a great gift giver. She always remembers your Birthday and special occasions. She not only gives the gifts but makes them super special for each individual child. A lot of thought and effort goes into her gifts…she really is the world’s best auntie. The fun part about it is, we both are raising our kids together and walking this stage of life together. Our girls are besties and it is so reminiscent of our childhood with our cousins (we affectionately call each other sister-cousins). The only thing that I wish is that we lived closer which fingers crossed…should be happening soon!
MY LINESISTERS: There’s 27 of us on my line and out of the 27, 15 are married and 14 of us have children. We are all on a GroupMe chat and advice flows freely among us. One particular line sister who has been instrumental is one my Farrah’s godmothers, Valeria. With Farrah, I had major “mom guilt” and post-partum blues. Because of circumstances out of me and my husband’s control, I had to go back to work when my daughter was three weeks old. It was by far one of the hardest things I’ve had to do and during that time, Valeria really put her arms around me and lifted me up. I remember the first day that I dropped Farrah off at daycare. The whole time I was trying to keep it together and as I was walking back to my car, I could feel my face getting hot, tears were welling up in my eyes and at that moment my phone rang and it was Valeria! The first thing she said was ‘How are you doing?’ I burst into tears. My commute was about 45 minutes and she stayed on the phone with me the whole time. One of the things she told me on the phone was being a mother is not just changing their diapers and feeding them. Being a mother is doing the things that are hard, putting on your ‘big girl panties’ when you really want to run and hide…it’s sacrifice! I have kept that advice in my mind to this day. One thing that I know for sure whenever I feel like I want to start feeling sorry for myself, I tell myself “Kim, you love your babies and you are doing the best that you possibly can!
MY SPIRITUAL BIG SISTERS: Honestly, if it wasn’t for my church family, I don’t believe that I would be maturing the way that I am as a mother. I have women in my life that are steps ahead of me in this motherhood journey. They have literally talked me off the edge, they have challenged me and simultaneously lifted me up. It has been more evident than ever this year. I cannot tell you of how many women have prayed with me and for my family, let me cry to them, pointed me to resources and held me accountable.
Motherhood is truly a joy but let’s be REAL clear…it’s challenging! Without God and others that he has placed in my life, I would not be making it. Also, I’ve written some blog posts that fall in line with this post so I’ll link them below. We also recorded a podcast episode dedicated to Mother’s Day and Spiritual Generational Legacy so CLICK HERE if you want to listen to it. Anywho…HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!
