My Superwoman



Most times when I want to seek inspiration, I don't have to look out through the window or go searching far away. My inspiration is always  within me. Yes! I'm talking about my mother. The toughest and bravest woman I know. A widow and single mother who has seen it all through thick and thin. I call her my "King".   



 Let me tell you a little story....          



About nine years ago, our family home got burnt. Every single thing we owned got consumed by fire. My mother's investments went down in just one night. She wailed and wailed. Yet she picked up and moved on.



Two years on, my father passed away. Asides mourning, there was this cruel cultural initiation awaiting her. Tradition demanded that when a woman lost her spouse, after the burial and celebration, she was obliged to go through the rites and initiations of widowhood. This meant, shaving her hair, chanting incantations, taking oaths, taking spiritual baths at a stream, getting rubbed with mud and palm oil. Getting cuts with a blade on some of her body parts and the list goes on. These acts were indeed too harsh for anyone fresh in mourning. But that was tradition's demand so no one cared.



When it was time for the traditional rites and initiations to be performed, my mother stood up and refused to give in. Being a staunch Christian and an elder of the church, she said her faith and tradition had no link. Hence, she could not adhere to cultural demands. Her resistance came as a big blow on the faces of observers of tradition. It equally raised brows especially because of her gender.  She had village natives constantly coming at her. Some trying to convince her to reverse her decision, others warning her on the consequences of her resistance. But she took the bold step and stood her grounds and she succeeded in  sailing through.      



Flash forward to a few years later, she has moved on. She rejected self-pity and continued to breadwin her family as a dual parent. She went on to build a house after loosing her first house in fire and even got a promotion at her job among other achievements. Women in the community look up to her as a source of inspiration and encouragement. She counsels married couples too. Through her, I have learnt to use my voice to ignite change.                                      Indeed she is a "Superwoman".

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