A Symbol of Strength and Courage

I happen to be the youngest of the clan. My siblings often talk about what I call â€Å"the olden days†, going Into explicit details of their many childhood tales of fun and hard times mixed. Their stories were full of fun, excitement, and mischievousness. In each tale one or many of my siblings' anecdotes would include the trouble that they had gotten themselves Into, and then always tell of my mom's response. Mom would definitely give you her opinion (as she stood with her hands on her hips, fussing at you) on whatever crazy idea you had, but she would always still come to our rescue.Now that I am an adult I see Just how brave my mom really was. I TLD always believe that my mom was courageous. When I was young, I resented her for many years for the things that I had to endure as a child. I couldn't understand why certain decisions concerning us were made. I remember saying to myself when become a mother I will be different, my children will have options, our life will be bet ter. However, in a time when marriage was supposed to last forever, my mom with only a 10th grade education ended up raising her children mostly simplemindedly.My sisters and brother would often describe how my father's drinking affected their lives when they were young. I was too young to remember those times but I was told how mom would get up early in the morning and go Into the vegetable fields to work in order to put food on the table for her children. Later, when I came along mom worked in the seafood industry. It all was very labor intensive work standing on your feet all day. But mom never complained. My favorite memory is when I would get home from school and my mom would have dinner prepared and you walked into all kinds of luscious smells coming from the kitchen.My mom never really talked about that time of her life, she Just showed her children her love for them by ensuring we had what we needed. What makes my mom great? I used to ask myself that very same question, but not anymore. Now that I am a mother of two challenging teenagers, I have a world of respect and gratitude for my mom for the way that she raised my siblings and me. The morals, values, and belief system that are now Ingrained In me; I can only hope and pray are ingrained in my children as well. I often think about my holding and the lessons I learned from my mom.Growing up, in VA, was not the sleet thing In ten world My Tie consisted AT Nanning clothes on ten line, rolling in wood for the stove, and pumping water from the well to bring into the house. Everyday doing the same thing over and over, I hated them so much. I was upset that we had to live that way. It wasn't until years later that I realized, that my mom was right there with us every step of the way and encouraging us all that we could do much better in life. Each day I strives to do better in school.I also, realized that those chores were making me responsible and teaching me work ethics even while I was young. I have hop efully passed on to my children my hard working nature and taught them responsibility as well. Mom spent each day of her life showing those around her how much she loved Christ. I saw my mom as a beacon of hope and encouragement to me each day of my life. As I look back and reflect over my childhood, we went through some really hard times. But I can say that my mom let her faith guide her and keep her positive in the midst of bad situations.I never saw y mom cry or get upset over the things that we went through. I do remember her taking us to church and helping us to develop a relationship with Christ. I often think back to times when my mom would sit on the couch in our living room and she would sing hymns. She didn't have the best voice in the world but it didn't matter. She would sit there for an hour and sing and record herself on her tape recorder. Then she would playback her songs and sing along. I never got the chance to tell my mom, how much that encourages me even to this d ay.She showed me how to stay in a costive frame of mind and not be overtaken by disappointing situations. Caring, dedicated, compassionate, understanding, committed, and loving my mom, not Muhammad All was the greatest. I'm only sorry that it took me so long in life to realize it, because once I did, there wasn't much time left for me to spend with her. My mom spent her life sacrificing for her children and family. As I sat at her funeral and listened to all the wonderful things people said about my mom, I can only hope and pray that one day those great words can be said about me.