Today I dedicate this post to my mother.
My mother was the most powerful woman I have ever known and I could only dream of being half as strong as her. She escaped an abusive and controlling relationship from my father. She raised me as single mother since I was two and half years old. She went to college taking at times 27 credits while working two, sometimes three jobs, yet still finding time to spend with me. She struggled to get out of welfare only to wind up acquiring student loans. She fought against and even chased two men that mugged her, in heels. She took the CBEST test seven times in order to become a teacher, never lost sight of her goal and passed on the eight try and ultimately she became a mentor teacher. She chose to work in the very same middle school that she attended as a child because she wanted to give back to the community, and she did. She was a godmother for 72 of her students. She bought groceries for the families of her students when she knew that they didn't have enough money. She defended her students rights when no one else would. She paid house visits for bad and good reasons. She frequently spent her own money for classroom supplies that she deemed were necessary for her students to succeed.
Through all of those wonderful achievements, she still found time to be my mother, which she claimed was her greatest accomplishment. She taught me that girls can do what ever boys can do. She told me that there were no such things as boy toys and girl toys. That women have to work harder than men in order to get the same recognition. That sometimes you just need to sit back and laugh at serious situations. She taught me that I was beautiful regardless of what standards were imposed upon me. That women should be judged for their merits and not their looks. That what ever I wanted to do in this world I would be able to make it happen because I had the drive and the intelligence. She showed me the importance of having a birthday cake regardless of your age. To always stand up for what you believe in, even if that means a silent protest. To never forget your heritage but to also embrace new customs. To never judge anyone on what you see on the outside. That animals are like little people and they depend on us for safety. That chocolate really does solve a lot of problems. That you can be rich even if you do not have a lot of money. That dancing while you clean makes it more fun. That confidence will get you noticed more than anything else. That everyone should have a signature to be remembered by, whether that is a color, perfume, outfit or just a smile. That money isn't everything. To take time and read a book. That I know how to make the best meatloaf because of her recipe. To not stop once you reach a goal because you can always go farther. To sing even if you are out of tune. Taking a nap with someone you like is a privelage that should not be taken for granted. That a good laugh is contagious. And that the one true thing that means the most in this world is love. And I never went without hers.
I miss you so much mom. You will always be my inspiration.
A Successful Life
“To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty; to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easer because of you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
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