Takeover Magazine 1st issue april 15th 2016 | Page 33

wrong. “We had the same struggles as
any other family living in Detroit. Every
family faces hard times and it was no
different for us.” She said.

“I worked very hard to raise the children
in the way that they should go. We all
went to church every week. We even
traveled to New York to help with a
ministry there. So Terry and Meech
knew right from wrong.” She said.

I couldn’t help but think back to how my
own brothers reacted to my mother’s
struggles as she raised her children
alone. So, I said, “I have to say that even
though the wrong path was chosen, they
probably did what they thought would
help their mother. They didn’t want to
see you struggling. I applaud you for
laying that foundation. It’s hard to get
children to respect you these days.”

I pointed out that they did the wrong
thing, but they tried to help out and that
was the way they chose to make a
difference. “Mama Meech” mentioned
that she had been asked why she still
lives in the same house. She told them
that “..you can’t prosper from bad” so she
never accepted the gifts that were
offered to her by her sons. Even though
she and Mr. Flenory are divorced, she is
his caregiver. This is a compassionate
caring woman. This is also one of the
things which makes her amazing. As
mentioned, she welcomes young ones
reaching out to her so she can help guide
them in the right direction. BMF means
something to her, family. Even though

her sons started it and the meaning
took on a negative hue, she is
determined to turn it into an outreach
program for youths, something
positive.

Mrs. Flenory is affectionately called
“Mama Meech” by all of her adopted
children. Young ones only do this kind
of thing with people that they know
care about them. There is a lesson
here for all of us. Follow her example
and turn a negative into a positive.
We applaud her for this. Many women
with sons in prison who had the
money and life that BMF had would
expect to be treated like Queens or
looking for sympathy. Mrs. Flenory is
doing neither one of these things. She
just wants to help other young people
make the right decisions. No doubt
this is a direct reflection of her Bible
education and ministry. She gladly
passes this education along to anyone
who will listen.

Anyone interested in assisting “Mama
Meech” in this endeavor can reach out
to her on Facebook: Real
BigMeechmom or on Twitter:
@RealBigMeechMom

LJ Thomas is the Senior editor of
Takeover magazine. She has been
writing for the past 35+ years, both
fiction and nonfiction. She holds
several degrees in business and
management and resides in Atlanta,
Ga. To reach LJ, visit www.asoral.org
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