Womens History Month - Celebrating MY Mom

As Women’s History Month ends it would be remiss of me not to do a shoutout to my mom, affectionally called “Mommy Joyce.”

?

I could focus on some of her qualities such as tenacity, courage, ambition among others but for purposes of this piece I will take a slightly different perspective and focus on her love and her cooking ability. Yes, you heard me, her cooking skills.

?

My mom has the biggest heart of anyone that I know. Growing up in Jamaica, I vividly remember that outside of our family of 7, there were always an extra 2 to 3 people living with us because my mom had taken them in for a "while" to help them “get back on their feet”. Some were family members; some were friends, and some were friends of friends. Irrespective of who they were, my mom ensured that they felt right at home and that they were well fed.

?

As a selfish na?ve boy, I could not understand why I had to share my room, my food and my mom’s time and attention with others, some of whom were not even family members. However, as I got older, I recall the bible verse “For God so loved the world that he Gave his only son” and I realized that GIVING was one of the love languages my mom spoke, and she spoke it very eloquently.

?

Hands-down, my mom is the best cook I know. She has this gift of elevating the flavor profile of every type of dish she prepared. Her restaurant down-town Kingston, as well as our kitchen at home were always packed with people who craved her food.

?

Her summer barbeques in Hollis Queens were just as legendary. Cars lined the block as family members, friends and friends of friends all converged on our house to enjoy mom’s food and also just to hang out with her.

?

My mom used these opportunities not only to display her culinary skills but also to impart words of wisdom, motivate, develop, and empower. This made it easier for her to build communities and break down barriers.

We often run into those who she helped, and the sentiments are usually the same. Thank you, Mommy Joyce, for taking me in, and helping me out when I really needed it.

?

Although my mom only had the equivalent of a high school diploma and did not take any leadership courses, she was a natural leader and exhibited many leadership qualities including empathy, integrity, inclusivity, and transparency.

?

As I reflect on my mom’s history as a community leader, I am forced to reflect on my leadership, and ask myself some tough questions. ?Am I doing enough to help grow communities that I am involved in, am I breaking down barriers or building them and how well am I empowering and developing others?

?

And as far as my culinary skills are concerned, there are more questions than answers!

?

Mom, thank you for who you are and challenging us to be more than we ever thought we could have been!

?