memoirs of algeisha

My mom and I saying goodbye before I flew back to Guatemala.

It’s Five Minute Friday again! And today’s topic is a bit off the beaten trail. Today’s challenge is What mama did. 

Be prepared for a tear jerker because today I was asked to tell all about what my mama did that made her mine, in just five minutes. Here it goes.

GO.

Five minutes of what my mama did. I could write five years and not even begin to tell the story. But then again five minutes takes the pressure off. All I can give is a glimpse.

In a glimpse: My mom cried. And prayed. And listened.

She let me cry. In fact, she’s almost the only one who sees me cry.

She fought lies. She affirmed truth.

With her I could dredge up my darkest, ugliest doubt or fear and voice it. I could spit it out, bitter, acidic. “They hate me. No one likes me.” Or let it slip through heaving sobs. “I’ll never want to write again.” Later I would use it mockingly, knowing it would hurt her to know I thought so little of myself. “I’m fat. I’m useless. I’m dumb.”

But no matter my intent, her response was the same. She spoke truth. She never joked. She never threw it in my face. She affirmed me. She affirmed the spark of God in me.

You’re beautiful. You’re smart. You’re loved. Just. As. You. Are.

Most days, I write it off as a mother’s job. But I know it’s not so with all moms. Some moms are petty. Some moms compete to be the prettiest, the skinniest, the most successful. Some moms are ashamed of failure or weakness or tears. Some moms are too busy or distracted.

But not my mom. What my mama did?

My mom listened. My mom saw through the pain. My mom spoke through the pain. She spoke words of love and hope and truth. She voiced the Love I would later find in my own spiritual journey. Hers is the voice I want to copy when loving my friends, when encouraging coworkers, when writing the love story of this blog.

My mom spoke love. My mom speaks love. My mom showed me Love.

Thank you, Mom, for what you did and what you continue to do. I love you.

***

This post is part of Lisa Jo Baker’s Five Minute Fridays. Every Friday, we turn off our inner critics and perfectionists and just write for five minutes straight. Zero editing. Just a stream of conscious free for all. And then we all link up and encourage each other. To learn more about Five Minute Friday and how you can participate click  here.