I humbly and whole-heartedly accept the enormous responsibility of being a woman.
And, I pledge to use the power therein to build, nurture, exhort, strengthen, encourage and give life.
I pledge never to use this power in an untoward or undeserving manner.
I pledge to remain humble and serving the purpose for which He made me a woman.
I pledge to defend everything He has blessed me with.
I pledge to fight for everything which I and mine aspire to.
Above all, I pledge never to allow any (man/being) trample on or undermine the responsibility that I have been given.
I am both grateful for, awed and humbled by such an enormous responsibility.
The responsibility of being a woman.
Sunday 30 March 2014
Sunday 2 March 2014
The Day I met my Mum.
She was always there. A larger than-life and an ever constant presence in my life. I not only loved her, I stood in awe of her. There was something about her that was both intimidating and reassuring at the same time, and she was just 5'3.
I also was proud of her and the older I got, the prouder I got of the woman who gave me live.
Then, suddenly, she was no more. We lost her to the cold hands of death, at the age of 49, my Mum passed away.
My world came to a standstill. Till date, it was one of the few heart-wrenching experiences of my life, it was the first, others have followed since then. There were so many things that came to mind, top among them the fact that she was just too young to die, she should have enjoyed some fruits of her labours after sacrificing so much raising so many people. I had too many questions and my heart felt like it was literally broken. The pain was inexplicable and today, more than 10 years after, it still is.
As I grieved with a heavy heart, I had thought I knew my Mum, but I was in for a shocker.
On the day of her funeral, I met my Mum.
The turnout was shocking.
People from work, people from church, people from different parts of the country where she worked at one time or the other. People we knew, people we didn't know. Family, friends, foes, friends of friends. We didn't know where they all came from.
As the funeral service went on, the officiating minister, (a well respected minister who my Mum contributed to his ministerial training and who flew in from the U.S to be at her funeral) somehow asked if there was anyone in the impressive crowd who my Mum had affected positively.
Four people came out and while the first person spoke, there were 12 and by the time the 4th person finished, there were more than 25 people standing in line.
The more the people spoke, others joined the queue. I believe that even the minister was so overwhelmed that he didn't know how to stop them.
As these people, some of them I knew and many others I didn't, shared all the different ways that my mum has been a part of their lives, how she had offered a helping hand, how she had provided succour, how she gave and asked for nothing in return, my life changed.
I heard how she paid for the school fees of kids that we didn't even know. We heard how she would send food and clothing to places we had never even been to. We were told how she would treat illness free of any charge. We heard how she saved lives and how she changed destinies.
I saw my my mum differently. I saw her through the eyes of different people.
Many things clicked for me that day. A lot of things suddenly made sense.
That day I took the decision that even with the pain of losing her, the grief that overwhelmed me, I would celebrate my Mum, the life she lived, what she gave and who she was.
I also was proud of her and the older I got, the prouder I got of the woman who gave me live.
Then, suddenly, she was no more. We lost her to the cold hands of death, at the age of 49, my Mum passed away.
My world came to a standstill. Till date, it was one of the few heart-wrenching experiences of my life, it was the first, others have followed since then. There were so many things that came to mind, top among them the fact that she was just too young to die, she should have enjoyed some fruits of her labours after sacrificing so much raising so many people. I had too many questions and my heart felt like it was literally broken. The pain was inexplicable and today, more than 10 years after, it still is.
As I grieved with a heavy heart, I had thought I knew my Mum, but I was in for a shocker.
On the day of her funeral, I met my Mum.
The turnout was shocking.
People from work, people from church, people from different parts of the country where she worked at one time or the other. People we knew, people we didn't know. Family, friends, foes, friends of friends. We didn't know where they all came from.
As the funeral service went on, the officiating minister, (a well respected minister who my Mum contributed to his ministerial training and who flew in from the U.S to be at her funeral) somehow asked if there was anyone in the impressive crowd who my Mum had affected positively.
Four people came out and while the first person spoke, there were 12 and by the time the 4th person finished, there were more than 25 people standing in line.
The more the people spoke, others joined the queue. I believe that even the minister was so overwhelmed that he didn't know how to stop them.
As these people, some of them I knew and many others I didn't, shared all the different ways that my mum has been a part of their lives, how she had offered a helping hand, how she had provided succour, how she gave and asked for nothing in return, my life changed.
I heard how she paid for the school fees of kids that we didn't even know. We heard how she would send food and clothing to places we had never even been to. We were told how she would treat illness free of any charge. We heard how she saved lives and how she changed destinies.
I saw my my mum differently. I saw her through the eyes of different people.
Many things clicked for me that day. A lot of things suddenly made sense.
That day I took the decision that even with the pain of losing her, the grief that overwhelmed me, I would celebrate my Mum, the life she lived, what she gave and who she was.
And, as humble as she was.
As humble a woman as my Mum.
As humble a woman as she was,
as humble was her life we saw,
she gleamed like the star she was,
a life very conscientious she lived,
examples enduring she laid,
stand tall always, she said,
against every adversary,
that way, you don´t end up in shame,
or in wanton misery.
As humble a woman as she was,
as humble was her begining she said,
her life was a struggle,
but an ulitmate seat at the head,
And though she sometimes stumbled,
she learned to always again rise high,
she taught us to always aim beyond the sky,
so at worst, land on the roof,
And to live each day at a time,
with uprightness imbibed in our roots.
Constantly thankful and amazed we are,
as the compassionate fulfilment
of her life transcends time,
confidently certain and assured,
that her creator was her strenght,
as she made her life sublime.
As humble a woman as she was,
as humble was the legacy she left,
her ways and wisdom we learnt,
Be kind to everyone you meet,
for we are all one, she would say,
never expect too much from anyone
and be grateful for all you get,
Be honest in all you do, she would say
to yourself above all.
As humble a woman as she was,
your destiny is in your hands, she said,
with determination and hardwork,
you can be anything you want to be,
patience will come in handy,
but your peace of mind is worth the wait.
And my daughter, she said,
always keep a smile about,
and a twinkle in your eyes.
As humble a woman as she was,
as humble was her last days,
leaving behind no debts, enemies or foes,
but loving memories of her to stay,
on that heavenly flight that fateful day,
was a great woman in every way,
Deep peace of the quiet earth,
and shinning stars to you, my Mum
As great a woman I hope to be,
A woman as humble as was my Mum.
As humble a woman as she was,
as humble was her life we saw,
she gleamed like the star she was,
a life very conscientious she lived,
examples enduring she laid,
stand tall always, she said,
against every adversary,
that way, you don´t end up in shame,
or in wanton misery.
As humble a woman as she was,
as humble was her begining she said,
her life was a struggle,
but an ulitmate seat at the head,
And though she sometimes stumbled,
she learned to always again rise high,
she taught us to always aim beyond the sky,
so at worst, land on the roof,
And to live each day at a time,
with uprightness imbibed in our roots.
Constantly thankful and amazed we are,
as the compassionate fulfilment
of her life transcends time,
confidently certain and assured,
that her creator was her strenght,
as she made her life sublime.
As humble a woman as she was,
as humble was the legacy she left,
her ways and wisdom we learnt,
Be kind to everyone you meet,
for we are all one, she would say,
never expect too much from anyone
and be grateful for all you get,
Be honest in all you do, she would say
to yourself above all.
As humble a woman as she was,
your destiny is in your hands, she said,
with determination and hardwork,
you can be anything you want to be,
patience will come in handy,
but your peace of mind is worth the wait.
And my daughter, she said,
always keep a smile about,
and a twinkle in your eyes.
As humble a woman as she was,
as humble was her last days,
leaving behind no debts, enemies or foes,
but loving memories of her to stay,
on that heavenly flight that fateful day,
was a great woman in every way,
Deep peace of the quiet earth,
and shinning stars to you, my Mum
As great a woman I hope to be,
A woman as humble as was my Mum.
Saturday 1 March 2014
The heart of the matter.
I am one of the many people who believe that their Mums are the best. I won't be the first to sing my Mum's praise.It is indeed, no secret to everyone that know me that my mum was the strongest influence in my life. I speak about my Mum, every chance I get. I never think twice about telling anyone who cares to listen about the kind of mother and woman my Mum was and the impact she had and still has on my life and the life of my entire family.
Everything I am today and everything I aspire to be in the future, I owe to my mum and the foundation she laid for me and my 6 siblings.
Yes! There are 7 of us!
The woman went and had 7 children. She didn't stop there, she also adopted quite a number of other children, but I won't bother you with how many of us there are. You probably won't believe me.
She was like most mothers, sacrificing everything to give all of us a good life. She taught us so many different things in so many different ways and these days, in my day to day, I find her everywhere. I hear her in everything, speaking, helping, guiding, cajoling, insisting, giving me the eye or simply doing whatever is needed to get me to do things right.
I have decided to share some of the lessons I learnt from her and I'm still learning.
I invite you to join me in this ride and to hear the words of the world's greatest Mum, Wife, Sister, Nurse, Midwife, Matron, Deaconess, Friend and Mother-in-law...
While reading, you might find or recognize your own Mum, you might hear the voice or the words of that wonderful woman you call Mum... If you do, let us know. If you don't, I hope that you'll be able to share her wisdom.
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