MUM STORIES: My mother taught me to be kind and a hard worker

Teddy Njoroge Wangui and his mother Mary Wangui Kimatu. PHOTO | COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • I realise that despite the suffering she endured, my mother was and still is a strong woman.
  • Even though her siblings shunned her those many years ago, she still loves them, sees the good in them, and wishes them well.
  • My siblings and I had unconditional from our mother. She once told me that we were her priority.
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I was born in a family of five – three brothers and one sister. Growing up was not an easy ride. My mother was raising us single-handedly, after her marriage came to an end. She did not leave us behind, when she went back to her parents’ home.

We had no house to live in and my mother’s siblings didn't want anything to do with her. I recall hearing some nasty remarks being made about her.

We had to live in my grandmother's small house, and accommodating all of us proved quite a challenge. But what was more difficult was fending five children with no source of income.

Being a teacher by profession, she finally got a job at a local school near our home. I vividly remember her and my grandmother rejoicing when she got the job. She slowly started reconstructing her life. She was later able to rent a house and we moved in with her.

Eventually, she built a mud house on a piece of land that my grandmother gave her as a gift. We finally had a ‎place of our own; a place we could call home.

STRONG WOMAN

I realise that despite the suffering she endured, my mother was and still is a strong woman. And even though her siblings shunned her those many years ago, she still loves them, sees the good in them, and wishes them well.

Over the years, I've come to learn that her resilience, hard work and determination to provide for us paid off. Even though I did not have toys as a child or enjoy the luxuries others had, I always had a roof over my head, food to eat and clothes to wear.

But most of all, my siblings and I had unconditional from our mother. She once told me that we came first; that we were her priority.

My mother turns 60 in October. And this Mothers’ Day, I celebrate a woman who is the epitome of kindness, who is selfless and whose strength ‎I admire. I am thankful for the woman who raised me to be morally upright, instilling in me virtues that I'll one day pass on to my children.

To my mum, Mary Wangui Kimatu, thank you for always being there for me every ‎step of the way; from my childhood to date. As you age gracefully mum, may God bless you abundantly with many more years and good health.

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