Happy Mother’s Day, All.
If you’re a mother, grandmother, daughter, or adoptive mom, in a few days, it will be time to honor you. But honoring mothers isn’t designated to a certain day, but something to do on an ongoing basis with a phone call, a small gift, an act of service, or a reminder that they are loved and appreciated.
My mother, Madora L. Usher, poured so much into us girls – my three sisters and I – and her eleven grandchildren. Her words of wisdom included that, “Jesus stopped dying for His mother,” instructing His disciple to take care of her while He was on the cross.
In looking back at my mother, I think of a woman whose flaws didn’t keep her from showing up. She was opinionated, strong, and wise in ways beyond books. When I write or think about my mom, an array of memories bombard my mind. I remember the many cups of coffee I shared with her at the big, brown triangular table in my childhood home. As she sat in her oversized chair in front of the coffee pot and microwave, she bestowed wisdom about some things I wanted to hear and others I didn’t. Still, my longing to share one of those kitchen-table-therapy talks with her and a cup of coffee filled with milk and sugar can sometimes be overwhelming.
Relationships with parents can be sidetracked by differences created by the times, experiences, opposing viewpoints, and all those trivial things that create generational gaps. Still as the list grows of those I miss who have poured motherly-wisdom into my life, I’m drawn to the overpowering feeling of one more meal, one more conversation, and the thirst for their presence while the past conflicts become cloaked in garments of insignificance.
A few days ago, I facilitated a meeting on leaving a written legacy, which encouraged me to question the value of our roots, about how people show up in your life – the reasons and purposes. The list of people who have nurtured me is quite lengthy, and some of the recurrent themes of the wisdom they left behind were to be diligent, to find your purpose, and to show up strong whether teaching, counseling, parenting, or street sweeping.
One of my mother’s favorite quotes is attributed to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’”
Some ways to show up strong are to be brave, be loving, and find your place or your sandbox, the things you enjoy and are destined to do. Be determined to do them well.
Several months ago, at a family gathering, my nephew said he didn’t know what I was up to as far as my literary endeavors. Recently I released a book, Baby, So Precious, and a couple of weeks ago, I completed a residency at a creative community, Arrowmont, in Tennessee, before returning home to prepare for teaching an online class titled, “Capturing Our Stories and Family Narratives.”
Yes, I’m staying the literary course, and I know there’s creativity blooming in my family and friends.
Our purposes, wisdom, journey, and the places we find our wings come in a variety of choices. As I struggled and moved towards the transformation of finding my place and the street I was meant to sweep, I kept a journal of my endeavors. This journal became the book Jobless: Loving What You Do.
I know many of you already have a copy, but for those who don’t or for those who want to purchase a copy for a friend, child, or neighbor, the digital version of Jobless is on sale for $1.99 on Amazon for the next 24 hours. After that, you can buy it on Amazon for the regular price of $6.99 for the Kindle version or $9.99 for the paperback. Who knows, you might discover some tidbits of wisdom or awaken the desire to do work you were put here to do.
Purchase your copy today to honor the amazing women in your life and to become the best street sweeper you can be. Happy Mother’s Day!
Love you all,
Lucille Usher Freeman