The epitome of a mother!

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines mother as a female parent; a woman in authority, maternal tenderness or affection. However this definition is too broad it almost vague to just give these three definitions of a mother, when a mother is so much more. I have been blessed to have been born and raised by what I would call the epitome of a mother. She is more than just a female parent, a woman in authority, or a maternal tenderness or affection. She is an example to all women what a mother should be. What hard work and determination look like. She is an example of what God envisioned when he thought of a mother. She is not only a noun, but a verb and adjective. She is the most wonderful creation that God has thought of. At fifteen my mother had her first child, and at seventeen she had her second. She was determined to graduate, and she graduated on time with her classmates. By nineteen she graduated from nursing school and a week later had her third child. By twenty-four she had five children.
While she was on welfare for a short period of time, she did not make it permanent. She always said she did not want to be like her mother, and be on welfare all her life. She remembers going to the store with some food stamps and asking for change. That gave her the worst feeling. She had pledge that she would not have her children on government assistant. So she worked hard. Every day she worked, overtime, and any extra time that she could to make sure that her children had decent clothes on their backs and good food on the table. After school activities was the norm. So, she worked even harder to take care of the expenses of extracurricular activities. She made sure church was instilled into her children at a very young age. From participating in girl scouts and boy scouts, usher and choir, YPD, Sunday school, and Vacation Bible School, she made sure that we stayed busy physically, mentally, and spiritually. She provided her children with a safe and warm home. Her finances even allowed her to fix up the home with new doors, windows, appliances, and even a privacy fence.
As her children gotten older she found herself being the sole caregiver of her elderly aunt and uncle. This was a responsibility she took very serious. She would shop for both households, and cook for both households also. She also ran errands and took them to the doctor’s office. Most days she would only have about two to three hours of sleep. Despite the obvious reasons why she should have broken down, she still smiled and never complained.
While every mother wants to shield their children from harm or danger, it is impossible for a mother to protect her child from every form of danger. It is imperative that a mother instill values and morals into her child, and as the child gets older they should be able to make a sound decision. Although my mother instilled many values and morals into her children, she has found herself in court houses numerous of times because of the mistakes that her children has made. When a child is old enough to make their own decisions, and they have been provided with the right tools to make the right decision, and they make the wrong decision, the fault falls on the child.
I lift Wendollyn Denise Stewart up for raising five children on her own. I give her all the praises for the many sacrifices that she has made in order to provide her children a better life. I thank God for thinking of this woman, and putting her in my presence and allowing me to bear witness to what one can call the epitome of a mother.