I don‘t understand what to do…how to be a mother   You either love too much or don‘t love enough. Don‘t seem like there‘s no middle ground.  Tonya, King Hedley II

I was gifted with a great mother. I believe she somehow found that middle ground.  I don’t take it for granted that such an amazing  woman gave birth to me. She has always been there to support my talents, cultivate my spirit, and anticipate my needs. She’s also the one who upon gifting me my first journal shared the quote ” A life worth living is worth recording”, and so I write.

My mother has these blazingly bright eyes, a perfectly round bottom , and effortless intelligence that God did not see fit to gift me.  I did , however, inherit her smile, her heart for giving, ( though I can never out give her) and her thighs! As a matter of fact, these thighs are generational from my great-grandma Marie.

I didn’t just inherit her thighs, though. I also inherited her disdain for them . I don’t remember her ever saying she hated her thighs , but I know they were always a “problem point” . Of course, I didn’t care much for my thighs either. I someone managed to inherit the exact amount of disdain for my own. I had to buy pants for my thighs and not my waist. I couldn’t run too fast for fear that they would clap back.

Eventually, I came around to loving them or at least kinda liking them.

As daughters , we inherit oh so much from our mothers. It can be something as simple as a love for bleu cheese dressing  ( I do love it ) or a certain store that she would never support. It can also be deeper ,like a fear of having a successful marriage or disgust for a certain body part.  Growing up, I watched her as “mommy”, but as I matured she revealed the woman behind the mommy . She shared some of her greatest triumphs, fears and some of her missteps ,praying I wouldn’t repeat them. She gave explanations for why she was so fiercely protective.  She shared the things she had inherited from my grandma. My prayer is that the inheritance we leave is enough to sustain the next generation, but also that it may…leavealilroomforgrace

Isn’t she lovely?

Essence Fest roadies!

So what about you? What did you inherit from your mom? Leave a comment below.