Skip to main content

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Although there is no denying the paternal presence that hovered over me as I was growing up, I have to acknowledge the gathering of women who helped raise me. I was definitely raised by strong women beginning with my grandmothers. Both were unique, headstrong, fiercely independent women who had a major impact in my young life.

My maternal grandmother, the late Lillie Mae Addison, was a woman I try diligently to emulate. She was a gentle spirit, full of kindness and grace. An exquisitely beautiful woman who raised twelve children and many a grandchild. Late in life she decided she wanted an education and she put many a college professor through their paces to get one. Her family was her stronghold and she sacrificed much in her life to give to them. She lived a long and full life and her influence in mine continues to inspire and move me.

My paternal grandmother, Musethal Fletcher, was a force to be reckoned with. Granny girl could move mountains with one look and she has never been one to bite her tongue about anything. She is well into her late eighties and she’s still here kicking up a fuss about everything and nothing. I am very much my grandmother’s child and we both laugh, not knowing if that is a good thing or not.

My mother, Corrine Fletcher, readily acknowledges that I was a child from hell. I have often said that I would not have wished a child like me on my worst enemy. I admit to challenging the woman in ways that were probably unimaginable to her and not only did she endure but I’m still living to tell the stories. Her two daughters are her pride and joy and we know it. Despite our banging heads more often than not, she’s been my rock through many a storm and I know that where I am today is largely due to her presence and influence.

I also had two godmothers, Mama Sarah and Mrs. Thomas, who regaled me with do’s and don’t do’s growing up. They have been my strongest supporters, each of them encouraging and nurturing me as if I were their own child. It became a ritual for my sisters (biological and best friend) and I growing up to surprise our many mothers with an outrageous Mother’s Day event. These extravaganzas ran the gamut from simple dinners prepared by our own hands to weekend’s away to stay in a five-star hotel. Sometimes I reminisce back on some of the earlier things we did and I just shake my head at our teenage gumption. We became challenged to out do ourselves each year. So much so that after that weekend at the Willard Hotel in Washington we couldn‘t begin to think of what next. Eventually, time, distance, and our respective lives took some of the pressure off with extravaganzas giving way to cards in the mail, casual lunches, an occasional dinner and a requisite gift from Wal-Mart.

Of my “sibling” trio I am the only one who has given birth. I have raised six children, successfully, and I know beyond any doubt that had I not had good examples to emulate, I wouldn’t have been able to do all that I did. My sisters are both educators. They help raise more children than I would ever want to, facing challenges in today’s times that make most of my mishaps seem like child’s play. I do not envy either of them. I do give them much credit for doing what I know I couldn’t. And I appreciate that their abilities, as well, are largely influenced by the Moms who showed us all how.

So to each of you, I say thank you. I love you all dearly. I value and appreciate your wisdom and the life lessons you instilled within me. Happy Mother’s Day to you and to every woman who has cared for and nurtured a child as if he or she were their own.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Deborah,

I hope you have a Happy Mother's Day!!

Tiffany
Deborah Mello said…
Thank you, Tiffany!!!

Popular posts from this blog

DAMMIT, DO BETTER!

I love reading. I get excited when I discover a new author or find an outstanding story. I’m eager to leave reviews and share with others my new finds. When a book or story is lackluster, leaving me less than thrilled, I usually remain silent. I know the effort that an author has put into a story. I know how hurtful a bad review can be. It is not for me to dash anyone else’s dream because what I might not have liked, someone else may have loved. Recently I read books that left me disappointed, and angry. One was an award-winning title, the author gleefully claiming a coveted statue for her efforts. Clearly what I hated, others found award-worthy. And that actually scares me. The story was as well-written as any other in the genre. Its formulaic plot hit all the buttons that her publisher required. But as a woman of color, I found it as insulting and as distasteful as any story I have ever read. The story featured a Native American heroine. She had self-esteem issues, co

NAUGHTY OR NICE TOUR - DAY 6 - DEBORAH FLETCHER MELLO

I'm so excited to be a part of the NAUGHTY OR NICE BOOK BLOG TOUR. And it gives me great pleasure to give you the first peek at my next release, PLAYING WITH FIRE . Available from Dafina books on February 24, 2015, wherever books are sold, PLAYING WITH FIRE is the first in my two-book Sultry Southern Nights series. ENJOY this excerpt and please, PRE-ORDER your copy today! Romeo Marshall is over six feet of cool, smooth, hot, southern seductiveness--just like the music at his popular Raleigh club, The Playground Jazz and Blues Bar. With his beloved mother gone and no father he's ever known, the business is Romeo's everything. It's a place where anything can happen--and the evening one gorgeous young woman and one intriguing old musician walk into the bar--and into Romeo's life--it does. There's something about high-powered, down-to-the earth Taryn Williams that captures Romeo's attention like no other woman has. Yet unanswered questions from his past s

TREYVON MARTIN

Seventeen-year old Treyvon Martin was walking back from a convenience store to his father's home, when he was allegedly accosted and shot dead by a community watch captain.   Heading home put him in a “gated” community where he clearly wasn’t welcomed.   Treyvon was black and his presence in that “gated” community was a source of consternation for the man who shot him dead as evidenced by the 911 telephone call that was made just minutes prior to the deadly shooting. The media reports that George Zimmerman, a white man, called for police assistance, reporting that Treyvon was “a suspicious person".   Despite being advised by the 911 dispatcher to not follow the young man and to wait for police, Zimmerman felt that he had the authority to approach and confront Treyvon instead.   That confrontation has now left a family to bury a child who once had a bright and promising future. The central Florida police have yet to levy any charges against Zimmerman and it is unlike