Strong Women: May we know them. Be them. Raise them.

It will be hard to believe that there was a time in my life that I did not “like” her.  My mom.  My teenage years were not good to her.  I swore that she was after me, that she didn’t want me to be happy.  I laugh at that thought now, knowing that even the mention of her leads me to tears.  The good kind of tears that are rolled up with so much emotion that you don’t even know how to put enough words into expressing the depths of her existence.

My mom…she has taught me so much by her example.  The one that laid her life down for her seven kids.  The one that strived for them to live a better life.  She hates these stories, the stories of her struggle…but they are what makes her who she is and it’s not anything to be ashamed about.

I am a by-product of a woman who never gave up!  Who never settled.  I watch her achieve one level and then say…this is good “but not good enough.” And then I watched her conquer the next.  As she conquered a new level we became more empowered.

My mom….she takes opportunities and she crushes them!  She leaves others in disbelief!  That’s my mom!  Like the one time when she walked into the office of a government agency that helped her to receive free education in order to go into a field that would help her to provide a better income for her family.  She was advised by her agent to try to choose something that she was certain could make her money (like becoming a nurse or something of that sort) and my mother chose to become a barber.  The lady was a little frustrated with my mom and said to her “you have seven kids, you really should chose something that is certain to bring income.”  My mom…she chose her own way, she knew that in order to take her kids to the next level she’d one day become her own boss….an entrepreneur!

We watched my mom grow a business.  We watched days where no one would walk through the doors but she stood firm.  HOW she supplied our needs…I will never fathom!  But one thing is for sure….we always had food on the table and love in our hearts.  These are the stories she hates….but these are the stories that make her STRONG!  These are the stories that remind me that IF SHE COULD….I could too.

My mom now runs a barbershop that has stood the test of time, just as she has.  It has been established since 1999.  M&D’s barbershop (stands for Mother and Daughter’s) sits in the corner of Allen Rd and Stockdale Hwy in Bakersfield CA.  She operates this shop with my two sisters.  If you are from Bakersfield and you EVER have time to stop in with your kids or husband (boyfriend) please do.  Tell her how special she is, because she is!

I told my mom that I will spend the rest of my life sharing her stories if she doesn’t.  There’s so many more and this is just a glimpse.  My mom is my HERO.  She is a woman that is incomparable.  If I can amount to being even half the woman she is….then I’ll be alright!  My mom!  She is my greatest inspiration.  My mothers strength is felt…it is known.  I will forever be grateful for it.  STRONG WOMEN, their strength is not measured in muscle but in the immense weight they carry within their heart.  To all the beautiful women who show strength in tenderness and perseverance…..Happy #internationalwomensday.

STRONG WOMEN: MAY WE KNOW THEM. MAY WE BE THEM. MAY WE RAISE THEM.