We say Happy Mother’s Day as if the words on that one day comes close to the miracle our mother is. From conception to birth, she spoke to us. She sang to us. When they laid us on her chest for the first time, there was an unbreakable bond reinforced that said we are forever. Through our skinned knees and tears, she was there to shape us for the world we would one day face. Mother is part historian, she is part doctor, part minister and part of the coalition in place when we were growing up that said, “if you see my child doing something wrong you can discipline him/her first then bring him/her home, and I will get a piece of him/her too.” Depending on where you grew up, you got spanked, beat, or you got a whipping. In reality, it did not matter what the name; you were standing there dancing, waiting for it to be over. We don’t understand sacrifice until we have our children. It is sometimes financial, but more often than not, it is the emotional stress a mother feels when her children are out in the world. Sacrifice is the camouflaged word some people use when, in reality, a mother seldom uses that word; the word she uses is love. Saying thank you to our mothers seems so simplistic, especially on a specific day when she could weave magic for us the other three hundred and sixty-four days.
When you know your mother loves you, you make a conscious decision to stay out of trouble. You never want to see the disappointment on her face as her heart breaks. You don’t want anyone to blame your mother for your doing wrong.
Momma. Every time I write that word or say that revered word. Something in my chest moves. It is a piece of her that gives me the strength to face each day because I remember what she did for us yesterday. When I became a parent, I finally understood what it meant to give up some of my heartbeats. I gave each of my children a piece of my heart, just as she did for us. When I pick up the phone and hear her say hello, all’s right with the world while I am talking to her. Her laughter is like the gospel we grew up with, and it fills our souls to the point of bursting out in song. Mothers are a celebration of life. We never find out what sacrifices they make for us until she is much older and will talk about them. Even then she guards her words because all she wants us to know is it was all about love.
Momma, I want you to know you have been the guiding light since the day you gave birth to my brothers and me. Your quiet strength has become ours. Your wisdom has allowed us to see things for what they are and not what we want them to be. There has been no pretense from you, like it or not, the truth was always the truth. I am sure we all know the pain and pride of watching our children spread their wings and fly. We are all blessed and honored by the love you have given us. These words are to show the appreciation for the life and love we have been blessed to share with you.

© Q. Javon Overton 2019