Happy Monday y'all! I took a much needed break after my 30 days of gratitude to bask in my gratefulness. LOL! No seriously, my brain was exhausted from writing everyday. Nevertheless, I am back and ready to do me.
It is Monday, December 6th and today my Mommy turns 79 years old! I can hardly believe that she is 79. I mean I know that she has been around along time but the older I get the younger she seems. Go figure!
I shared why I am grateful for my mom last month in an appreciation post but it is so much deeper than just being grateful that we were chosen for each other. My mom has been my example of so many things. She is an amazing mother, grandmother, sister, friend, educator, community leader, and overall matriarch. Her wisdom stretches well beyond her 79 years!
To sit at her feet and learn as an adult is something that I never knew I would cherish but I do. Growing up I didn't understand the hype around Ms. Genevia. All I knew is people loved my mom and enjoyed engaging in long (really long) conversations with her. I didn't understand the power that she holds in her stories and in her memories. I am grateful for her memories and the fact that they are as crisp as they were when she acquired them. If you have ever had the pleasure of meeting my mother then she knows who you are and has likely made a critical connection to your family lineage. Trust me, you are related to somebody that she knows.
As a kid, I used to cringe hearing people call out her name as we tried to escape the grocery store or mall or any place honestly without someone recognizing my local celebrity mom. But now I am honored to see how many lives she's impacted and hear the stories that they have about her. I long to build the same kind of lasting legacy in my community and with those I love.
Happy birthday Mommy! It took me nearly 30 years and being hundreds of miles away daily to recognize the jewel that you are! I am grateful that God graced me with time! I pray today is the beginning of your best chapter yet! Thank you for being you and cultivating the woman in me! I am because you are!
XOXO,
MichelleRena