Taking a moment to honour my mother.

This is the woman who gave birth to me in South Africa, two weeks before Christmas, two months before her twentieth birthday, the parent I grew up with in Africa, before she returned to live in the UK when I was 21.

I had ‘left’ home for practical reasons when I was eighteen; my ties to family were very close & I continued to contribute in every way I could, returning to live at home from time to time, as ‘home’ kept on moving from place to place. My mother was born in Edinburgh, lives near there again.

While we lived in the southern hemisphere our adventures and life experiences together were immense.

My mother has taught me the power of determination, to push through obstacles, to not let anything stand in your way of overcoming defeat.  Our life journeys have been very different, in many ways.

The one thing I am enormously grateful for is that life has taught me to stand on my own two feet.  My mother taught me that there is no such thing as “can’t” and to have good manners at any cost.

Lately we have moved to a new level in our relationship, as my mother has watched me come through fire, like a phoenix. She says there’s a new look in my eyes.  We speak freely, my mother cheers me on from the sidelines, showing unconditional love.

It was not always this way.

I have always loved my mother; Family has always mattered to me; I respect those in authority over my life. I am humbled to see how my journey has added a new level of honour in both of ours.

We were born in different parts of the world, different hemispheres. We both love Nature, learning new things, appreciating the arts, witnessing beauty and culture, stretching ourselves, travel and adventure in various ways.

In adulthood I learnt that “can’t” actually does exist, despite what I was taught, but that it need only be for a time, while we heal or consider how to take another step. There is a big difference between “can’t” and “won’t” ~ signs everywhere, if we care to think about it.

My mother and I remind each other to be strong.

I love you, Mum.

Thank you for standing by me in resilience, hope and love.

❤️

Holly x