HEARTH & HOME
What
Mother’s Day
Means to Me
B y Va l e d a K e y s
T
hree words come to mind when it comes to Mother’s
Day: gratitude, sacrifice and accountability. It’s the
little things that my mother has instilled in me and my
siblings. A mother sacrifices so much for her children,
and you don’t realize it until you’ve sacrificed so much
for your own.
My mother was the one who introduced us to God. My mother was
the one who bought my first Bible. My mother is my first hero. When
it comes to breast cancer, I didn’t have to ask anyone questions because
I had my mother (gratitude). We’ve both survived breast cancer a
total of four times. That alone comes with gratitude, sacrifice and
accountability. We tested positive for the BRCA2 gene mutation. What
that really means to us is being responsible together.
When a mother is diagnosed with breast cancer, she is not only
thinking about death and pain. She is also thinking about her children.
Who will take care of my children? Who will pray for them? Who will
go above and beyond for them? My mother didn’t make us say "Yes,
ma’am" or "No, ma’am." Yes or no was sufficient. But what she did make
sure we said was “thank you.” A thank you takes you places a college
degree won’t. It’s the little things a mother makes sure her children
have, and having good manners is one of them. My mother has instilled
a few things in us.
1. “Just accessorize” when it come to fashion. You don’t always have to
have a name brand.
2. Your faith doesn’t have to be talked about; move quietly, let God move
on your behalf.
3. When it comes to your hair, keep your ends clipped.
4. The key to your nails is cuticles, cleanliness and keeping nails trimmed.
My mother became a manicurist after her first bout with breast cancer,
and the chemotherapy treatments turned her nails blue.
5. Don’t leave the house looking a m