When I think of my mom, I feel like I have the best mother on earth. I have wanted to put my thoughts into a post for some time, and since yesterday was Mother’s Day here in the United States, it feels like the perfect moment to celebrate one of my greatest blessings. By the time I finish, you might just wish you could adopt her.
Years ago, while I sat in a neighborhood hair salon getting my hair done, the stylist said, “Precious, your mom is a gooooood woman. She is a very good woman.”
She was right. My mother is the embodiment of goodness. Her kindness reaches everyone around her—even local hairstylists.
She has the warmest personality. You know those people you meet and instantly like? That’s my mom.
Her strongest habit is her prayer life. She never misses prayer time. Whether morning or evening, she makes sure the family prays together. I remember her with drowsy eyes, exhausted from a long day, calling us to pray. I also remember being woken in the wee hours to join her—angry because sleep was so sweet—while she insisted we come. Prayer is as essential to her as the air she breathes. She prays about everything, and I know she prays for me every day. What a blessing.
In our neighborhood everyone calls her “mummy.” She is a mother to many: the poor, the needy, the young, the old—strangers included. She cares for people as if they were her own children.
She is incredibly generous. I would say she is the greatest giver I know. If we have a bag of rice at home, my dad jokes, “She will share it all!” And indeed she will. When a visitor arrives, she takes some rice, bags it, and gives it to them. Her time, treasures, and talents are shared freely and selflessly.
Her devotion to family earned her admiration from my late grandfather, who once told my father, “Never joke with that woman.” He treasured her and always wanted to see her. She was likely his favorite daughter-in-law. She went out of her way to please him—cooking his favorite dishes and helping him with small needs like buying reading glasses when he said he couldn’t “shee” (see).
She is both gentle and strong. She shows how a woman can hold her own voice while remaining respectful to her husband. She is firm when needed and submissive in spirit, striking a rare and admirable balance.
She is ambitious. When she had me and two of my siblings, she held only a GCE Ordinary Level certificate. Yet she was determined to continue her education. With three children, she returned to school for Advanced Level studies, and she kept going until she earned a qualification equivalent to a master’s degree. Along the way she had two more children but never abandoned her dreams or her studies.
She despises injustice. She once worked as a court registrar but left because she could not accept wrongs being presented as right in court.
She treats my in-laws with such love and respect that they formed a bond with her independent of me. They visit her in my absence, spend nights at her home, and call her “mummy” too.
My mother is one of the funniest people I know. She tells the simplest stories in the most entertaining way, often adding gestures and expressions that make everyone laugh. Growing up, I laughed a lot because of her antics and storytelling. When people tell me I’m funny, I think, wait until you meet my mother.
She calls me just to “gist.” I’m grateful to have a mother who’s also a friend—I speak with her as casually and comfortably as I would with a buddy.
She still calls me “baby,” and it makes me blush. I often tell my daughters, “Look, I am someone’s baby!”
Mummy, I haven’t seen you in three years, and I miss you every single day. Thank you for being such a phenomenal woman and for shaping me into who I am. A single post cannot capture all your greatness. I can’t wait to see you again and join you for an early morning prayer. You are the sweetest.
Happy Mother’s Day month to all moms and moms-to-be. Keep creating memories and making the most of your time with your children.