Testify
A Mother’s Love
Her faith kept her through the storm that almost destroyed her sons
By Mathell Givens
God blessed Mathell Givens with what she calls many “angels”
in her life, people who God brought to her just when she needed
them. Her book, Angels in My Life, chronicles the many painful hurdles Givens overcame—from raising three boys as a single
mother, coping with an array of health
problems, losses and death and the “storm”
that hit her family that almost destroyed
them.
The following are excerpts from Givens’
book, Angels in My Life: An Inspiring Life’s
Journey.
I
t was a hot day in July when I
came into this world. The two
people responsible were a
woman who was not ready or equipped to
be a mother and a man who did not want
to claim fatherhood. When I was conceived, God assigned several mothers to care for me. My birth
mother became restless when I was three weeks old and decided
she wanted to go out and party.
Though she didn’t want me to be adopted, my mother still had
no desire to assume the responsibility and challenges of motherhood. Her best friend Verona, whom I affectionately called Godmama, was asked to take care of me, and she did just that. I lived
with Godmama and her father, Deacon Brown, who I called
Grandfather. It was an awesome life living with people God
picked especially for me. They introduced me to the finest things
they could, and I grew up appreciating my life and my guardianangel family. Godmama’s mother had died when she was twelve,
leaving her motherless and Grandfather a widower. He remained
a single parent raising his daughter very well and never remarried.
Godmama didn’t have any children, and we never really talked
about it. God gave Godmama and Grandfather enough love to
nurture and teach me to see that I was chosen to be with them.
They never wanted me to feel that I was merely filling a void in
their lives, so they never mentioned that Godmama could not
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The Well Magazine Fall/Winter 2013
have children of her own.
I was born to a mother who gave me up and a father who
wouldn’t claim me as his daughter, but God
sent me the parents I needed, and I am truly
grateful for each of them. This was the beginning of my journey and part of God’s magnificent plan for me.
When I was fifteen my son, Vaughn, was
born. He was a sickly baby who had asthma
and developed juvenile diabetes at the age of
eight years old. He was admitted to several
hospitals and was in many diabetic comas.
Due to being the only baby in the family and
not a well child, he was spoiled by all. Godmama and Grandfather bought him everything a child would want and need. As I look
back on the situation, it was much like when I
came into their lives. I have to admit motherhood was not easy for me and really affected
my social life. Godmama made me raise my son. She would
watch him when I went to school and did my homework, but
that was just about the extent of her babysitting duties. I really
did learn the hard way to be responsible for my actions and my
son.
A few years after meeting Cannon, I became pregnant again
with my second child. I was informed by the doctors that my
baby had a big body and a small head. They said the child was
maybe fifteen pounds, and would probably be born deformed or
not survive birth. I consulted Godmama and we decided to let
the Lord determine the fate of my unborn infant. What we didn’t know is that I was pregnant with twins.
While I was in the delivery room, doctors and nurses would
come in and check on the baby’s heartbeat every fifteen or
twenty minutes. Each hospital worker who checked me during
labor seemed very pleased with the way things were going with
my high-risk pregnancy. I noticed each time the stethoscope was
placed on either side of my stomach, the “strong heartbeat”