To All the Mother Figures in my Life

To all the mother figures in my life I want to say, THANK YOU. Like most people, I have been fortunate enough to not only have my own mother as the best mother figure ever but many older women that have come and gone as well. I come from a large extended family, both my parents have many siblings whom I have been fortunate to have either grown alongside or connected on a deep level. This post is an ode to all the mother figures I have been fortunate to have had in my life and continue to even now.

Growing up in Zambia, all your mum’s female friends are considered your ‘aunties’ whether blood related or not and most if not all treated you like their own child. I have been fortunate that the women my mother has over the years considered to be her close friends, close comrades and sisters have been nothing but nurturing towards me and treated me like they would their own child. Not forgetting the matriarchy herself, my GRANDMOTHER who to this day cracks me up.

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post with Boots Photo celebrating all the mother figures in our lives, all opinions shared are my own.

To All the Mother Figures in my Life

Almost everyone within my inner circle can relate to having their mum or her female siblings as the ‘mother figure’ in their lives. Coming from a large family and being one of the first grandkids on my mother’s side, we had the privilege of every maternal figure treating us like their own child. Not everyone has been this fortunate and I am forever grateful to have many aunties who have been mother figures in my life.

Obviously, having so many mother figures surrounding you means you can’t sneeze without one of them knowing what you up to and if one knows EVERYONE KNOWS. But I still wouldn’t change it for the world because thanks to their guidance and influence, I am who I am today. This post I dedicate to all the mother figures in my life.

To my grandmother

I wish I could spend as much time with you as your other grand kids but being half way across the world doesn’t make it easy but just know, you are always thought of and loved. I remember my early years speaking to you about ‘girl problems’ and you explaining to me the ‘life of a girl’ and sharing things my own mother experienced and what you experienced too. That is the one very clear memory I have of you, a lot of my other memories from my early years are vivid but the memories are still there and I thank you for always loving me the way you do and telling everyone about your ‘explorer granddaughter’.

To my mother

No words can describe how much I love you, appreciate and cherish you. I have always been a tomboy and a daddies girl but it feels like one day I woke up and all I wanted was to connect with you a little bit better than we were in my teenage years. As I have grown and become a woman, I have realised there is so much you did for me, protected me from and guided me through and most of it silently. You are my number one supporter, my confidant, advisor, councillor and the one I want to gossip with 😂😂.

To auntie Susan

The fact that you look exactly like my mother adds another layer to the respect and love I have for you. Lord knows I admire how you conduct yourself, how innovative you are just like my mother, creativity is definitely part of the family. I love your faith and I know it’s not easy being the only one there to carry the family load but we appreciate you and I love how you silently support me and think of me. Thanks for creating a cousin that is my spitting image 😂😂, I am definitely creating that photo book with all the pictures of me and my cousin side by side so I can remind you how you cloned me 😂😂.

To my mother’s close friends

There have been too many of you for me to call you out name by name but please know I appreciate your guidance, your support and teachings. I want to specifically mention ‘Anne’ the first woman to tell me the importance of being a financially independent woman and doing my own thing. The first person to explicitly explain the important of having assets in my name, protecting my assets and building a better future for my future children. There are so many woman I want to mention but please know that I carry you all in my heart and your knowledge that you have passed down for my betterment has been retained.

To all the mother figures in my life, I say thank you and with Mother’s Day around the corner, I want to create new memories with you all.