So this week we will be celebrating Mother's Day. My mum is one of the most hard-working, kind, wise people ever and most of the life lessons I have learnt have been from her, so what more appropriate time is there to share those lessons?
The first thing my mum has taught me is the importance of prayer.
My parents gave their lives to Christ when I was 3-years old, so prayer has always been something my parents- especially my mum, encouraged me to do. My mum has been a massive influence on my faith and my own walk with Christ. She has always encouraged me to pray as much as possible. Pray to say thank you, pray when I'm stressed, pray for others etc. But more so than the encouragement itself, she has taught me the importance of prayer, just by DOING. My mum is a prayer warrior and I honestly admire her for it. I'm not great at praying but my mum can wake up at 5am and pray until like 7. I don't know how she does it.
I've seen our family be so blessed because of her constant praying. I've noticed how my life looks when I do pray vs when I don't. I'm glad I was raised in such a Christ-loving home.
The second lesson I have learnt is to let love come naturally.
Mothers are full of wisdom from all their experiences and own mistakes. I can imagine that one of the most rewarding things about being a mum is being able to prevent your daughter from making the mistakes you did when you were younger. My mum and I are very open with one another and of course we occasionally have the good ol' boy talks. She has shared a range of stories about her dating life from back when she was a teenager and it's always nice to have those chats. She was my age when she met my dad and it really was a "when you least expect it" story. Whenever we have our girl chats, she never fails to remind me that the right man will come when you least expect it. Just focus on yourself and he'll join your journey when the time is right. My mum was going through a "I want nothing to do with men" phase when my dad came into her life. Typical.
I don't know if this is a skill that gets activated as soon as you've been through labour, but mothers are INCREDIBLE at identifying fake friends. My mum's fake friend radar is A1. I've learnt to trust her instincts when a new person comes into my life. She always knows if a person is bad for me and she is never wrong.
I've learnt so many life skills from my mum that I have been able to put to use since I moved out my family home. One of the big ones has been cooking. I've been learning to cook since I started secondary school pretty much. It started off as the basics like different ways to cook eggs and obviously got more complex as I got older. I'm definitely no master chef but I do know how to make a good meal. Being Jamaican, there is not a chance that she would have let me move out unless I could cook. For real, cooking is ESSENTIAL when you're Jamaican. For as long as I can remember I have been told "What if your husband comes home from work and wants some Yam?". My answer was always "I don't like yam so there won't be any in the house anyway".
One of my favourite things my mum has always said is "Do not accept anything less than a happy home". Everyone has problems in life, but I have been super fortunate that family and my home has never been one of them. My parents are so loved up and I admire it everyday. Not everyone has the privilege to live with both parents who have such a solid marriage, and I don't take it for granted at all. In fact, it makes me so determined to choose my spouse wisely. They don't have a perfect marriage because those only exist on the big screen, however they're happy. That in itself, makes my home really warm and safe for me. Just having so much love around me gets me through other problems. My siblings can be annoying-like all siblings can but I love them lots (don't tell them that though). We argue at times but we get on and genuinely love one another. I couldn't ask for anything more. My mum has taught me not to settle for just an OK home life but a great one. She has always subconsciously taught me how to be a wonderful mother and wife.
So these are just a few of the MANY lessons my amazing mum has taught me throughout these 19-years. What lessons have your mum taught you?
Happy Mother's Day to all the incredible women who raise and support their children. You deserve to be showered with love and affection all day long!!
Thanks for reading,
Have a great day x
