Monique

In Observation of Women

Added 2017-03-09 23:13:04 +0000 UTC

If you have been following me on my other social media, you probably saw my series of posts in observation of 'International Women's Day.' I did a similar thing last year, and if you are interested in doing some scrolling, I would invite you to take a look.

On my personal Facebook account, I also shared this image. This is one of my favorite images of my mother. She was 21 years old and holding her first daughter, me. She is now almost 47, and has four daughters. She is a beacon of strength through constant adversity. I can't think of a better candidate to celebrate during this month.

My mother has endured abuse ranging from psychological, to physical, to sexual, from the time of her childhood into her second marriage. She suffered two traumatic car accidents, breaking nearly every bone in her body. She has been victim to countless instances of medical malpractice. Her body is overrun with scars that are painful to see. I cannot imagine the sight of the scars inside her mind.

In spite of all this adversity, she still walks without assistance. She raised four girls to be independent, hard working individuals. She taught us not to conform, but to embrace our strangeness. Her daughters became over achieving artists and musicians, each one of us with our own unique personalities. Despite having quit high school in tenth grade, she taught me to read by the time I was 3 years old. She is very largely responsible for my affinity and skill for the written word.

The majority of the time, she was both the nurturer and the provider. She worked despicably long hours to make sure we were fed. She could not always save us from the predatory darkness of this world, but she always defended us like a mama bear.

Being the first, my mother and I learned to grow and heal together. I am so fortunate to have had her strengths, weaknesses, virtuosity and mistakes to learn from. Therefore, I thought this was worth sharing with you.