Respect, honour, encourage, appreciate, love. Whether as a verb for all the words or additionally, as an abstract noun as in the case of Respect and Honour, they are what we ought to endeavour to do for, and have towards each other. Mothers and Daughters are a special league of individuals, when paired in unison make a formidable force.
Her age, my age, our age; What’s this all about and what has it to do with RHEAL. I celebrated my Fifty-Sixth Birthday on June 10th and was as always super-pumped and excited. Birthdays to me are very significant for a number of reasons. Foremost is that I am allowed another chance to commence another year’s cycle with a renewed mindset, and a positive outlook for having attained a milestone many persons never had the opportunity of experiencing. Additionally, I am allowed that time to do some deep reflection.
My reflection this year has special significance for me on a major front. my mother, Veronique, was always a very hard working woman who tried her best to ensure that her children were taken care of to the best of her ability. Imagine then, at her age, my age, the age of 56yrs, she instructed my brother to not return to Antigua without me. Mind you, this was when I, an excited teen just finishing Secondary School already knew that I either needed to pursue Sixth Form or become employed in the Educational Field. Yet, with packed bags, I heeded the instruction and migrated from the NATURE ISLE to Sunny Antigua. There, my mother, at age 56yrs, my age now, worked hard in other people’s homes to support me financially, spiritually, emotionally and otherwise while I attended the A’LEVELS Dept at the Antigua State College. This for me was a real mothering, motherly sacrifice, a RHEAL Sacrifice of respect honour, encouragement, appreciation and love that I have NEVER forgotten. It signified a bond with deep roots to which I remain attached.
It speaks to me loudly of a mother-daughter bond that must stay intact and teach a lesson of fidelity, support and unending RHEAL. I continue to be RHEAL with Mommy in as many ways possible even if I have my own family. This has transposed into the manner in which my daughter and I interact. And not surprisingly, we have demonstrated that we are both RHEAL with each other.
Additionally, mommy’s devotion to work even as I continued my tertiary education, cemented in me a strong work ethic that is unmatched. In reflecting this year, however, at my age, her age, our age, I am tempered with discernment to realise that one should not allow herself to be disadvantaged. For some reason the people with whom mommy worked failed to pay her dues so that her old-age pension benefits never materialised.
MY RHEAL lives on and I am better for it. I shall be better because of it. FEARLESS, FABULOUS FASHIONABLE FOCUSED FUN FIT FIFTY- SIX. Her age, My age, Our age.
Garden Conversations with Roze 