Looking back on the life of a woman who wears a rainbow colored coat. My mother, my teacher, my example of a colorful life well lived and a beautiful legacy to behold.
So this morning, my older brother sent a little bit of music magic on our family group chat, ‘Try Jah Love’ by Third World. His caption was, one of our childhood home addresses and the year.
How befitting that my brother sent this on the eve of our mothers birthday before she turns 77 because it really sums up our mother, our home, our childhood.
My favorite verse, “and if you’re thirsty I will quench you with my love and if you hunger, I will feed you with my word and all I ask of you is that you love, as I do”
That took me straight down childhood memory lane and playing that song while I prepared breakfast got me dancing, singing and reminiscing all things my mama.
My mother, mostly a single working mum worked hard to provide for us. She did so without ever bending her back, without shying away from her responsibility, looking her Sunday best as she always stood firm in her faith. Through her own life, she showed us strength, a woman that made us see what it means to believe, a woman that when all odds were up against her she called upon her God and said, “this too I will overcome, show me the way.”
Unbeknown to us, as we were growing up we were blessed with a mother, a shining light that showed us that in the face of adversity, if we sit still, hold onto our faith, listen to our inner voice, trust and look close enough, the light of God will guide us because it never leaves us.
My mother raised us in a catholic home, so Sunday’s were about church and family lunch for us. Often shared at my grandmother’s house which was about a 30 minute walk from our house. This catholic upbringing was what lead me to become an alter girl at around 11 years old, a catechism teacher at 15 years old where I taught 6 year old kids in our neighbourhood the teachings of the faith, a reader of the gospel at weekly services and then when I made my Confirmation at 17 years old, I was chosen to do the keynote speech in which I had the great responsibility of addressing the Bishop and our Parish congregation. What an honour that I took so seriously, I remember handwriting it many times till I got it right and then typing it out during break time at school on the typewriter.
Along my journey into adulthood, I started recognizing that following a Religion was not for me and as I looked back at all the wonderful teachings and learnings I got throughout my life, I decided that for me spirituality and connectedness to God can exist without conforming to a Religion.
I have grown into a woman of depth, a woman of determination and strength that follows her path, a woman of purpose, of faith, hope and love and I have become that woman because my mother is that woman and she showed me how.
And so here I sit, rooted in Ubuntu, on my journey fully connected, spiritually attuned and oh so thankful for the mother I have, for the family I grew up in and for the family I have created because… I really am, because we are.
p.s. Sharing this with my mother brought her to happy tears she said "thank you so much my girl, I am going to ask your sister to print it for me and laminate it in my favorite color so I can keep it in the back of my bible and treasure it."