Making Our Miracles Succeed

“Make sure you wash your face and brush your teeth!” , my mom would yell just about every morning getting ready for school. I would do these things while the slight hint of her horrific morning breathe was hitting my nose. “Yes, mam” I’d say praying no one will EVER smell my breathe in such condition. I must’ve brushed my teeth so long that morning I almost missed the bus.

When I got on , my brother was yelling saying “ I kept on calling you, what were you doing ?”

“ brushing my teeth!” , I yelled back.

A kid on the back of the bus said “ I can tell, I can smell the mouthwash way back here !”

We all laughed. Lesson complete.

And that was only one incident. On a larger scale, I was a timid aspiring writer who had stage fright. The kind of shy that couldn’t look any one in the face, watched my feet as I walked, talked with a lisp shy. But my mom being a talent show host, it was her goal to thrust her children into their talents. She wrote me a poem and I was to perform it in the talent show. Being optimistic and having great memory, I felt I could mimic her and repeat the poem with ease. And I did!.. at home.

On stage not so much. I was a wreck. I messed up in the middle of the poem and ran off stage in tears.

Not on mommas watch. I was told to stop crying, rehearse the poem, and I was going on stage to do it again. And I did.

She was also a typical mom on her days off as superwoman. I remember going shopping for dishwashing liquid. At this point the basket had about twenty other items that weren’t included on that short list. Finally,

“Ma, get the good dishwashing liquid. The kind on the commercials.”, I said because I saw her picking up the one dollar concentrated brand.

“Why” she asked.

“Because it works better!”

“It doesn’t matter which one I get, y’all still going to put a lot of it in there!”

I laughed hysterically because that was also true. Wasting money or dishwashing liquid? that was the question!

It was amazing how well she knew her kids. Her experience in life truly made her the teacher.

Speaking of, she worked at the middle school that I attended. I’m not ashamed to admit now that I had a bit of a behavioral problem. New rules would be set at the school, and my siblings and we’re the first to know. However, I would always be the first to break the rule. I didn’t learn my lesson until I was called into the principal office, one day. Normally where they would simply phone the parent, she decided to call mother dear to the office as well. All went well until the meeting was adjourned.

I walked ahead of her contemplating an escape plan. I heard her laughing away her goodbyes and see ya laters’ to the principal, then a hard shut of the door. I stood there like a deer in the woods that heard a branch snap. I felt the cold glare from her round eyes. A little voice in my head said “get ready”. The mother lion dashed full speed toward the deer in attempt to taste its flesh. I never thought in all my years I’d be so anxious to get back to class as I ran full speed ahead.. I made it. Alive today! To tell you how amazing that woman is.

Running. Another thing we had in a common. We both ran track. Me, in high school. Her, with me in her stomach in high school..

I know I hurt her when I quit. I hurt myself.

In all the lessons that my mom taught me, I know she was only preparing me for greater lessons to come.

There are things in life that I know made my mom proud. Then other times, not so much. I never gave up on anything because I always had her support and encouragement. She treated me fairly. Accepted me even when I wasn’t doing right. That’s golden.

Looking back, I was mad and even embarrassed about some of the lessons my mother had to teach me. Wholehearted it made me into the brave, innovative and hygienic woman I am today! It’s always the small things that goes unnoticed when mothering is being done. My MOM, however, knew how to separate parenting and having a relationship with your child. She taught me to live right, smile often and to never look like what you’re going through.

Here’s flowers to all the MOMS all around the world!