Amazing Women Magazine May 2015

MAY 2015
VOLUME 2 ISSUE 4
a publication of Raven International Media
owwomen
AmazingAmazinAmazing
Amazing Moms: Past and PresentAmazing Moms: Past and Present
SPECIAL
EDITION
SPECIAL
EDITION
magazine

AMAZING MOMS - PAST AND PRESENT
2 Amazing Women May 2015
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May 2015 Amazing Women 3
Letter from the Publisher
Raven Blair
GLOVER
Publisher
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Happy Belated Mother's day to each and every one of
you.
I'm so grateful and pleased to bring you this special edition,
which we call Amazing Moms Past and Present.
In this special edition of this magazine you will read article
after article about Amazing Moms that have influenced our
lives, some are gone but definitely not forgotten, like my
Mother Emily Blair. You will learn more about her coming
up, but also you will learn about many moms that are gone,
all who have left a mark and life lessons on us. You will
also hear from children who still have their Mothers to ask
that one question that they never had a thought to ask them
before and are able to continue to love and be with them.
This is a combination of both past and present Moms that
definitely made a difference in our world and it's because
of each of every one of our Moms we are who we are
today and this is our way of honoring them and lifting them
up to let the world know how much we love them.
I know as you read this your mom may be gone or may
be here. Either way I know you love her deeply and that
you have learned many lessons from her. Our message to
each and every one of our readers is to pass the lessons
that your Mother taught you on to others, and to share your
beautiful Mom with the world - doesn't matter if she is here
or gone she still is “not was” and will always be your Mom.
So we want to say a belated Happy Mother’s Day for
today and years to come and we want to say that every
day should be mother’s day as our mothers make such a
difference in our lives and it's because of them that we can
make a difference in others’ lives and pay it forward.
Isn't that what's it all about? So to my mom and all the
others Moms - we love you and thank you for all you've
done to make us all who we are today.
Happy Belated Mother’s Day
Raven
A

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Amazing
PAST AND PRESENT
Gone, But Not Forgottten, A Tribute to Emily Blair........... 7
by Raven Blair Glover
Remembering Mom: Ethelyn Jane Baynard (Effie)..........13
By Khaliq Glover as told to Raven Blair Glover
Zafiria Embraced Life......................................................16
by Dr. Anastasia Chopelas
Lois Jean Rupert...............................................................19
by Boni Oian
Natalie Portia Griffin,Wonderful Loving Mom...............20
by Tamika Glover
She Taught Me the Golden Rules.....................................21
by Blair Boone-Migura
My Mother, Marguerite........................................................23
by Anettte Pang
Live Life to the Fullest.......................................................25
by Vonda Grant
Lessons from Mom.............................................................27
by Tony Migura GiberWalky Traditions:
3 Things I Learned
from My Mother................................................................28
by Sherry Prindle
Don't Take Yourself Too Seriously: Orma Paton..............30
by Scott Paton
Reason for My Breakthrough...........................................31
by Regina Clay
Two Moms are Better Than One......................................33
by Mattie Eliza Booker Griffin
What Makes a Mom........................................................34
by Peggy Knudson
Essie Reed.........................................................................35
by Ced Reynolds
To You, Mother..................................................................37
MAGAZINE STAFF
Published by Raven Blair Glover, Raven International
Media Productions
Editor-in-Chief, Creative Director Rev. Basia Christ, Ph.D.
MAY 2015
MOMS
My Mother, Proverbs 31..................................................38
by Mary Smith-Moore
From Foster Mom to Mommy of the Year........................40
by L.J. Jackson
Memorable Moments of Expresison................................42
by Lorena Douglas
Tribute to My Mother.......................................................45
by Linda Hollander
My Mother and I...............................................................47
by Kim Fuller
5 Ways My Mother Made Who I Am Today...................49
by Kim Acedo, MS, CHWC
As Much as I was Loved: Hoping to Love My Son
as Much My Mom Loved Me............................................51
by Janie Lidey
The Best Gift My Mom Ever Gave Me............................55
by Heidi Symonds
A Remarkable Life: Fauna Hodel........................................58
by Yvette Gentile
Elma Phyllis Sterling, Living an Inspirational Life............65
by Consuelo Meux, Ph.D.
Good Character Despite Odds.......................................67
by Christina L. Suter
She Taught Me to See with Eyes of Love..................69
by Adrian Murray
My Amazing Mom..........................................................71
by Pia Lipscomb King
Only Three?.....................................................................73
by Lynn Hyde
When Your Mom Isn't Your Mom.................................75
by Rev. Basia Christ, Ph.D..
Special Contribution: My Family Heroes .................76
by JB Hill, Grandson of Napoleon Hill
and Son of David and Frances Hill

By Raven Blair Glover
Gone, But Not
Forgotten:
A Tribute
B
Emily
lair
E
B

W
hen I think about
my mom, I think of
a very stunning,
gorgeous woman,
sharp dresser and oh my goodness,
as MC Hammer said in his song “can’t
touch this”. But I also think about
a woman that loved deeply, very
deeply. I think there was a sense of
her feeling that she didn’t get that
deep love returned. I think that made
her lonely a lot of times and no matter
how much we tried to reassure her, I
don’t know if she ever felt that she was
really loved as deeply as she was and
is.
That saddens me because I love her
and my sisters and brothers love her
so much. We miss her so much and I
just don’t know if she knew that. I think
she obviously knew that we loved her
but I don’t think as deeply as we did.
A mother’s love is so precious. You’ve
heard of women picking up cars to
save their children. You know, those
extraordinary things like getting and
standing in front of a bullet to keep
their son or daughter from getting
shot.
I remember a few weeks ago in the
news, this young man was marching
or protesting against something that
could have possibly got him shot or
beaten by the cops. His mom, she just
went out there and she just started
hitting him and telling him he better
go home, and this was a grown man.
I think all of us moms applauded her
because we’ve seen ourselves doing
the same thing. She didn’t care if the
police would have stopped her or
what. She just jumped into mom mode
so quick and started hitting on him and
telling him to take his butt home.
That’s my mom. That’s probably your
mom. That’s probably you if you’re a
mom. We just step up and do what’s
necessary at the time and we’re not
thinking about what could happen to
us. We just go into mom mode. Well
that was my mom. And I love her
for that because there were times I
needed that. I needed that tough love.
There were times that she saved me
from myself. When I think about my
mom, I think of courage and resilience.
I think of her being unstoppable in
whatever she did and I think of her

as being so wise and insightful
and how she just embraced life.
She was so creative, talented, skilled
and very entrepreneurial.
I’ve certainly inherited a lot of these
traits from her and some of them
I welcomed and others I didn’t.
But I know my mother did the
best that she could do. I know
sometimes the discipline that she
provided was tough and a lot of
times misunderstood. But now as I sit
in the mom’s seat and my kids are
now grown, I understand more. I
don’t necessarily agree with it, but I
understand more.
Well here’s what I want to say
about my beautiful mother, Emily.
She made me who I am today. I see
that because of the way she raised
me, I have so much respect for
other people. I too love very
deeply and I too sometimes feel like
that deep level of love is not
returned. I too can be a little bit
controlling and like mother, I too
am very wise and insightful. I have a
lot of courage and am unstoppable
about my journey.
Like her, I even can dress very
sharp at times and have that
creative nature about me too. I
think the entrepreneurial spirit
that I have is so strong because
of the way I was brought up. My
mom and dad had a chain of
restaurants called Blair House
Restaurants in Cleveland Ohio.
They were successful and that
was very unique back then and
not an easy thing to do for
African-Americans. So I was a
very proud daughter of my mom
and the restaurant.
She put me in schools, lots of
schools. I remember the Karamu
House acting school. I remember
I hated going to that acting
school. In fact one time when
the teacher wasn’t looking or the
instructor wasn’t looking I
managed to get to the clock on
the wall and change the time to
make it look like it was time to
leave. I hated going there.
You know sometimes she would
drop me at the front door and
I’d go out the back door as soon
as mom drove off.
But now as I’m older, I see
that I was supposed to do
all those things. If I had stayed
in that acting school, who knows
I could have been an actress. I
could have been on Broadway.
I’m sure I would have done
something very big. Now the
funny thing is I’m dreaming
and envisioning and it will come
true when the time is right that I
will someday have a one-
woman show. What is it going to
be about at this time? I don’t
know. But I know that’s something
that I will be doing within the next
year or two for sure.
Another thing my mother is responsible
for is me being on the Radio. It was
when she was in the ICU unit of
Methodist Hospital for three weeks
and it was at that time while I was
sitting in the chapel hat I heard a
voice inside me who I choose to be
God say it’s time for you step up,
show up and choose to be God say
"it is time to grow up. Your mother is
going to be fine but you’re going to
have to be there for her. So you’re
going to have to make some decisions
not tomorrow but today. You’re
going to have to make some
decisions that are going to change
the course or the direction of your
life so that you can change the
direction of your family’s life."
You can’t help your mom making
$10 an hour at the age of 55. You
have to make some money so you
can help her with these medical
expenses. She’s going to be okay but
she’s going to be a little bit different.
So I immediately began to think
what can I do? I happened to
hear a great man by the name of
Alex Mandossian in one of his
teleseminar secrets calls say that
the quickest way to become an
expert is to interview an expert.
And then I heard him go on to
say in another call as he
interviewed someone that you
could create a podcast. Yeah you
can create a podcast and go out
there and make that your virtual
stage and speak to people
about your heartfelt message.
You could interview experts and
celebrities around what your
message is and in return again, you
will become famous by interviewing

other famous people. And that’s when
my first show Women Talk, Talk Radio
was born. That was April 23rd when I
launched my first show from the
kitchen table. Since then I’ve gone on
to do incredible things and have many
multiple, award winning shows. Also I
have my radio station Amazing
Women of Power, I have my
magazine Amazing Women
Magazine and I show. I said all of this
not to brag but to share that’s from
my mom. I give God the glory
first but my mom definitely
produced all that. She
helped make that all
possible because of
everything that she did along the
way. My customer service skills, I
definitely got from my mom
and dad. My entrepreneurial
spirit, being creative, stepping
out of the box, definitely got from
my mom. lessons I learned from her,
other than being respectful to people,
I remember when I was modeling
years ago and she said, you know,
you look good and you should be
thankful for your looks. She said one
day you may not look that good,
daughter, you are going to get
older. One day you're not going
to have that hour glass figure,
boy was sheright on that one. She
started saying you need to do
something that’s not going to
end if you’re overweight or if
you end up losing an arm, losing
a leg, or something don’t have a
car to get to, you can still make
money. The way you can do that is
with the power of your voice. The
way that you can do that is to
sharpen your communication skills.
The way that you can do that is
to learn how to sell.
She said if you can learn those tools
and especially selling, you will
never be broke, you will never be
without a job. I got to tell you, wow.
She nailed it, yes she did because all
of those things are what I do now. I’m
a communicator. It’s all about the
power of the voice. I’m on the radio.
I teach others how to use the power
of their voice and get their message
out. Guess what? I teach others how to
be able to sell in a way as my
mentor Lisa Sasevich says, that you’re
not being salesy, in a way that they
will welcome your offer, in a way
that you will present a yes offer,
creating packages and creating
products, creating radio shows and
even creating books.
Another thing I learned from Alex
Mandossian is you don’t have to write
a book. You can speak a book. Like
I’m speaking this message now and as
you read it, it was transcribed. You
can do it too. But enough about that
already. Let’s get back to my mama.
Some of the other lessons I learned
from my mom was to stick with one
thing and do your best. I was known
for flip flopping a lot. Sometimes I still
have to try to control that. That’s the
creative nature and creative side of
me. But I would flip-flop and she would
say I’ve tried this and I’ve tried that
and just say you know what, you need
to stick with one thing Raven and just
go for it. Stick all the way through. Stop
giving up. You give up right before it
happens, right before, you don’t give
a chance for anything to happen. So
that’s my mom. Again she nailed it. So
I’m sticking with the radio mom and
this what I’m doing now is because of
you and it’s for you.
Mothers are so important and as we
celebrate mother’s day in this Amazing
Women Magazine, we also celebrated
it on our station where we aired over
35 amazing stories and interviews
of people that have lost their moms.
They’re gone but not forgotten like
mine or people that still had their
moms because that’s my message to
the world now. When you said go
interview your mom and guess what if
they have kids, have them interviewed

too. That was a proud moment. I could feel
my mom’s smiling because she knew
that it was my love for her, my deep,
deep love for her that realizes all the
things that she told me and all the
discipline and all the lessons and lectures
sometimes you know and I’m sure have it
too. That I understand it now.
I get it now. It’s because of that defining
moment at the hospital through her
pain, through that dark hour. There
was a beaming light of hope and I
followed it and that hope led me to the
chapel to where I heard that voice inside
me guiding me, tell me exactly what to
do and I’m doing it. But it all
transpired because of you mom,
because of my mother Emily Blair.
All the putting me in schools even
though I snuck out, I got a little bit of it. But
will go back to acting school and I’m going
to do that one-woman show and I know
you’re going to be involved in it and I just
want to thank you mom, publicly thank you
in my magazine as I show you on the cover
and other moms that have gone but not
forgotten grace that cover with you. I want
to thank you for giving all that you gave
and I want to say in that one
moment in time with you because
I’m envisioning you with me
now. Thank you for all that
you’ve done. Thank you, thank
you, and thank you for
all the lessons, for even the
discipline that you gave me
because I want to publicly
acknowledge you for all the
things that you helped in making
me be, all this Raven
International Multimedia
Productions is because of your
teachings, is because of all that I
got from you. I'm’ still trying to
make you proud of me mama.
So I hope you’re smiling and I
hope you’re proud of me.
As I sit here recording this
knowing it’s going to be in the
magazine, I look around and see
many beautiful pictures of my
mom. I’m reminded of a time
when you took me to the ebony
fashion show. I’m looking at our
picture. I think you were wore
silver and I had on the light
cowgirl hat. Back then I was
trying to look like Diana Ross.
And in that beautiful picture
where you and my handsome
dad went to a play when you
brought me to Houston called
One More Time. ’m sharing
these pictures with the world. I’m
so proud to be you and Dads
daughter because I was so
proud of the way you guys
looked. You were beautiful mom
and my handsome Dad was too.
These pictures bring tears to my
eyes because I know I can run and
kiss my mama no longer. The
poem that my mom wrote, oh she
wrote such beautiful, beautiful
poems. In fact the poem you see
featured is one of my mother’s
poems and she – when I think of
my mom she has such a deep love
for her parents. I mean she wrote
so many poems about her mom
and her dad. I’m going to feature
one of the poems and I hope you
enjoy it. I just want to say to all of
you that are moms like me have
your children interview you.
Don’t let them, don’t leave this
earth without them asking you the
questions that they want to ask
you and share with you what
they really want to share with
you. Give them that one moment
in time while you’re alive to do it.
If your moms are alive like I said
earlier, go interview your moms.
That’s my message to the world.
For all of you like me who’s
moms are gone but not forgotten;
help me spread the word to the
world that mothers are important
and they leave life lessons and
help me spread the message to
the world to go out there and
interview their living moms and
again have your children
interview them. I know I’m saying
this over and over again so I
apologize for that. I don’t mean
to be redundant but in this article
about my mom, this is my
strongest message.
I’ve interviewed the great Lisa

Sasevich. I’ve interviewed the
great Lisa Nichols, I’ve interviewed
Brian Tracy, actress Fran
Dresher, Victoria Rowell
andChicken Soup for the Soul
author Jack Canfield. Oh my
goodnessso many different people.
Montel Williams, Russel
Simmons, Lindsey Wagner, and I
was a true lover of the bionic woman
and fan so that was a dream come
true. So many people, and among
those extraordinary people. Some
look at us as ordinary, but I
look at us as extraordinary
because we’ve gotten past our pain,
to our power, to our purpose and we
live a life with a definite purpose
and we’re passing it on to others and
that’s what it’s about making a
difference and passing it on and
paying it forward. We’ve done
that.
So yes, my mom was an amazing
mom. I choose to say this in the
present, but she is no longer with us.
She is in the past. Amazing mom,
gone but definitely not forgotten.
There’s so many life lessons I
learned other than the ones I have
sprinkled in this article. Lessons like
keep your head up, walk straight,
keep your chin up, be proud of
yourself. Help others stay with your
family, stick with your family, be
there for your family. Don’t ever give
up even when everything in you says
give up. Don’t ever give up on your
family. Always be there for each
other. Be strong. Be courageous.
Never show yourself weak.
Obey and abide by the rules
that we’re supposed to for a job, life
rules, the golden rule, do unto others
as you have them do unto you.
And read psalms, she always said
always read psalms. And I want to
say as I end that even though your
moms are gone but not forgotten,
you can continue their legacy. You
can let them live on way beyond
their years. I know one thing that I
have done is I have created the
prestigious Emily awards for my
amazing hosts, amazing woman of
power, amazing man of power, each
year we presented in our Red
Carpet Interview Secrets event
which is a three-day training on
how to interview, and how to be
interviewed and how to get the topics
first. But we always on the second
day present the prestigious Emily
Award - not just the Emily, but
prestigious I like that word, Prestigious
Emily Awards.
One day in the future, I will definitely
be doing something for my dad around
customer service because he was huge
with customer service. My son and his
friends planted daffodils in Central
Park when Mom passed and each
year they go back to see how they
have grown and how beautiful they
are. They’re beautiful
and they’re in my
mother’s name, a little
area of the park in
New York. I also
interviewed a lady by
the name of Debra
and she talked about
how she started a blog
in her mom’s name.
There are many
ways you can
honor your Mom.
There’s so much you can
do. Think of the charities
and the causes and
if they were sick with cancer or
diabetes or whatever cause or
charity or organization or illness
they may have come down with or
whatever they stood for in life, you
can build something around that.
You can create something. You
can give to a cause in their name.
You can start a charity in their name.
If they had cancer or diabetes or
some kind of sickness, you can start
something to help heal people like
that. You know if they stood for
something like they just couldn’t
stand the way young kids were
being treated or they didn’t like
the way singers were being
treated. Find something that really
meant a lot to them and create
something around it. You can write
a book. My mother wrote a
number of poems, maybe a
couple of hundred. We’re going
to put them together in a book and
it will be called Poems by My
Mom Emily. We will somehow
find a foundation or a cause or
a charity and give the proceeds
Raven and Mom Emily at the Ebony Fashion Show

of that to her. It won’t benefit us. It
will benefit not her but it will benefit
a charity or cause that we that she
will love.
She was a doll collector. I mean she
had so many dolls, dolls that wore
minks and diamonds. She paid some
good money for those dolls. My son
found this famous guy that collected
dolls around the world. So my son
Blair contacted him and we donated
my mom’s dolls.
Many Dreams
As distant as it may seem, life is full of
many dreams. And if destiny had
its way, we would look forward to a
bright new day.
There would be no more sorrow,
there would be no more pain, and no
more misgivings that we could not
explain.
So we dream of what we might have
been, to bring us to a perfect end.
But someone is watching us from above
and that someone ills our hearts with
glorious love and what we find in
him is so true. A big wide
world, that’s all brand new with
fields of gratitude and love and
delights laughter and sunshine...
what a wonderful sight!
Life is full of many dreams and this
is the dream I dreamed tonight.
Oh how sweet tomorrow will be a
brand new world for you and me.
Poet: Emily M. Blair
And you can do the same thing too.
So my message to all of you in this
special mother’s day edition is to
you know, even though your mom
has gone, see how you can carry
her message and her legacy on. Just
love and hug your mom and ask her
that one question or those questions
that you have for them and let them
know how much you love them and
how much they mean to you and the
lessons that you learned from them.
I’m honored to share a very
short video I was able to do
with my Mom about three months
before her passing. If you still
have both or either of your parents
Raven's Son Blair - Central Park
Flowers.
I plead with you to take a few
minutes to interview them as
you will be so pleased to
have this treasure after they are
gone.
http:raven.audioacrobat.com/
download/efd1b627-e718-
f3ef-25e8-aa4364e48415.mov
And this is for you mom. I love you
and I was always so proud of
you. And I’m still here making my
difference in the world. Still trying
to please mom. Mom, I love you.
Click the following link to hear the
full interview Raven did on her
wonderful Mother or copy the link
and paste into your browser.http://
raven.audioacrobat.com/
download/
raven-20150512110520.mp3

By Khaliq Glover as told to Raven Blair Glover
R
Raven I’m just curious because, listen, you’ve been here in
LA for over 30 years, right.
Khaliq Yup.
Raven So, was your mom like excited about you coming
down here and getting into the music field? What were
some of her thoughts?
Khaliq Well, she was definitely concerned about me
leaving Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania because it’s the unknown.
But at the same time, my mom was always supportive.
Whatever I wanted to do, she has pretty much been the
only one in many instances--
Raven Really? …where other people didn’t see, and
thought I was foolish or crazy, she was always like if you
feel it and you really feel it. Go for it. And so, yeah, she
was excited for me to do it. She also, didn’t necessarily
want me to go because of the fact that like I said we were
very close too. So, with me being 3,000 miles away, of
course I couldn’t get to see my mom.
Raven Get to see her that much. Yeah. How did she feel
when you got the Grammy? Well, let me, ask you this first.
How did it feel to share that moment with your mom?
Khaliq Well, I felt super proud and she was very proud of
me. She said she always knew it. And, I believe that she had
a vision or feeling that, even when people were telling her
and telling us that we were losers and never going to be
anything, never do anything, she always knew in her heart
better for all of us.
Me, my sister, and Mom. We faced the uphill path and
in many people’s eyes, people were writing us off and
considering us, losers in life.
So, having somebody that believes in you and in themselves,
when nobody else will and I don’t know where she got that
from because like, unfortunately she didn’t get that same
support from her own mother, and she didn’t get that same
support from a lot of people and ended up being a single
mom and things like that, so having to find it on your own
simply comes from your own self esteem, talking to yourself
and saying I’m going to find a way.
emembering Mom:
Ethelyn Jane Baynard
(Effie)

So, that’s what drives me as a person too now because I’ve
seen it firsthand.
Raven Makes a difference. And you had the opportunity
to acknowledge all that she’s done and acknowledge her
being your #1 woman in your life and all that you, showing
your appreciation by putting in your first book.
Khaliq Yeah. Yeah.
Raven That was great. And if I’m not mistaken, you got a
chance to give it to her right before she passed?
Khaliq Yes, I did. She was very happy and proud of that
moment. These are the things too. So, like when we tell
you guys to go ahead and don’t think about it. Raven
has really been pushing on that too because it’s one of
those things where I know-- as I saw my mom having health
challenges-- as I saw my mom having different health
challenges over the years, I kept having to face the reality
even though I didn’t want to face it, wow, you keep thinking
about what you want to do with her and you keep hoping
she’s going to be okay, but the bottom line is that you better
do it now while she’s here while you’re thinking about it.
Get it out of your head-- and capture it on to something,
because you’re going to treasure that the rest of your life
and you’re going to kick yourself the rest of your life if you
don’t get it now and you kept saying I’m meant to do it.
Raven And didn’t do it.
Khaliq And didn’t do it. Yeah.
Raven Absolutely. The biggest challenge you’ve seen your
mom go through, Ethelyn, and how do you think she got
past it?
Khaliq Well, the biggest challenge is quite frankly,
this will sound weird, but the biggest challenge was her
overcoming her. It’s not a secret or anything, but she ended
up becoming an alcoholic. That was her way of medicating
for a while and she had to overcome that, because it really
gave her serious health issues later on. She felt very, very
challenged in life and turned to alcohol to soothe the pain
a bit, and then she started realizing that this is going to
take me out of here before my time. And unfortunately, a
lot of damage was done, but I’m so proud of her when she
caught herself and said, listen, I’m going to save myself. I’ve
made whatever little bad judgments that I made, but I can
turn this around now. It’s never too late.
So, this is the thing that I like to spread to people and
also remember for myself. No matter what you’ve done,
it’s never too late to make a decision to turn it around.
She overcame that. She ended up-- I got a picture I sent
to you of her getting baptized and things like that where,
she found her relationship with the Lord and she found all
kinds of different things about her to get past some of
the physical challenges that were happening. And at times
when doctors were trying to write her off and give her
months to live, that turned into years and years of living.
So, that’s the biggest challenge. I mean, she overcame all
that because she recognized it’s all in the hands of god.
First of all, man can tell you whatever he wants. They don’t
know and they ain’t got it. They ain’t got no control over
any of that.
Raven What do you feel are the 3 biggest lessons that
you learned from your mom, Khaliq?
Khaliq First of all, you always believe in yourself, it’s
the #1 thing, even when others don’t. And, part of my
perseverance is the same thing; it’s like when you don’t know
there’s a way, you’ve have to keep going, and persevere,
and believe. That will lead you to a way.
And then the other thing is not… my mom, I won’t say she
was fearless, but she was-- My mom would be very afraid
in many instances. Fear of the unknown ., but she never let
that freeze her and stop her because it’s like when you stay

within the known, what you’re going to get or not get.
But when you go into the unknown, there could be much
greater benefits, riches, rewards on the other side by
just taking some kind of action. So, this is why she always
encouraged me. It’s like, hey, if you think you can do this,
if you really want to be a musician, I say you’re not just
saying you want to be a musician. I see you actually doing
it.
She would see me woodshedding and locking myself into
the room to learn how to be, the best that I could be and be
very, very serious and focused about it. So, she’s like, okay,
I see that you’re not just saying it. You’re actually doing
what it takes to make that happen. So, I got that from her
Raven Uh-huh. I love it. I love it. Okay. One more. I think
that was two.
Khaliq Okay. And then the other thing is just having an
open heart. She was, like I said, one of the most loving
people that I’ve ever known and met. I’ve been very lucky
in my life to have people like that in my life as well. I think
it’s a very important trait to have. And I like to think that
I have it somewhat too. I’m always a work in progress as
well. But in general, I think I’m a pretty good person in my
heart. I think I’m a pretty caring person in my heart I don’t
like to see, pain, and abuse, and bullying, and things like
that. And, I think I got a lot of that from her just, wanting to
be a better type of person and, that’s a great trait I think
that she passed on.
Raven Yeah. Absolutely. Okay. I want you to just kinda,
just relax and take a couple deep breaths ‘cause I’m asking
you a couple real serious questions and things to share with
us here. And one of ‘em is, what’s the thing that you’re most
proud of your mom for? I know there’s a lot.
Khaliq Yeah. Yeah. I mean, the main thing, like I said, I
really think is her finding her way back to who she really
was. Finding the relationship that she ended up having with
God and having her faith to find her true self, who she
was. I’m very proud of her because, that was not an easy
journey and I witnessed all the bumps in the road and she
found her way. I couldn’t be more proud of her than that.
To hear Khaliq's complete interview please
visit
http://raven.audioacrobat.com/download/
raven-20150512110511.mp3

By Dr. Anastasia Chopelas
Zafiria Embraced Life
T
his is the story of a very
remarkable woman, not
just because she was
Zafiria Chopelas, my
mom, but because she did things that
few women could ever do. Mom
raised four children, all of whom are
successful in life, all college educated,
with six grandchildren, which are very
much the same. She was the lynch
pin in the family, around whom news,
relationships and connections went
through: a true matriarch in every
sense of the word. My brother called
her the MNN, for Mom News Network,
as she kept us all up on the other when
we were too swept up in our own
busy lives. While none of this is too
terrifically remarkable, here is where
the remarkable stuff starts.
In 1971, our family was struck a blow
that changed the course of our lives.
My mom was diagnosed with a tumor
along her spine that few survive from.
During surgery at Cedars of Lebanon,
which lasted 8 hours, her spinal sac

was opened after four vertebrae were
sawn open. A long tumor popped out
from its tight confines and the doctor
carefully excised it from the base of
her brain and spinal nerve.
At that time, this kind of surgery
usually had two unpleasant prognoses,
quadriplegia or death. Indeed, during
this delicate surgery, mom stopped
breathing twice; each time was
revived. She awoke to excruciating
pain on her ribs where her heart was
massaged to wake it up again.
When she awoke from surgery, she
found her head and shoulders were
pinned to her bed to optimize her
recovery. As fate would have it, on the
morning of Feb 9th, two days after her
surgery, the great Sylmar earthquake
of 1971 struck, shaking the old Cedars
hospital to its foundations. Mom said
she saw chunks of plaster fall off the
walls and ceiling. One brave nurse
covered my mom’s body to protect her
as the debris flew. Mom could not be
moved or evacuated in her delicate
condition. Mom decided that if she
survived all that, that God wasn’t
finished with her yet.
After this, her doctor came in her
hospital room, holding his breath,
wondering what Mom’s fate would be.
His experience with other such patients
he’s treated is that they seldom live
long. At the outside, five years even if
they had use of their legs.
He watched closely as he asked her
to move her feet. She imperceptibly
wiggled her toes. After a few minutes,
he practically shouted for joy as she
continued to move her feet. He was
ready to shout it off the rooftops as
he viewed this as a miracle. She came
through surgery as intact as anyone
with that condition had ever come.
As weeks rolled by, she had to learn
how to walk again; she underwent
difficult radiation treatments to kill
any vestiges of her tumor. As the
weeks wore on, it was discovered
that she lost the use of her ring and
pinkie fingers of both hands and the
hot-cold sensations down her arms and
hands. Her doctor told my uncle that
she might live five years at the outside
as any invasive surgery to this level
usually means rapid deterioration and
decline of the central nervous system.
My uncle kept this devastating news
to himself: he was very afraid and
despondent of losing his only sister so
soon.
With none of us realizing this grim
news, we felt lucky to have her in
our lives. Mom wasn’t a very good
patient. She was demanding, grouchy
and picky. I knew that she wanted
to embrace life fully again and was
getting grouchy from all the waiting.
As Mom recovered, she wasn’t going
to squander this chance at life. She
wanted her life to matter. She
embraced and chose life more fully
than ever. Every single picture of her
shows this on her face. She danced
at all her children’s weddings, she
developed herself, improved her
marriage, and educated herself. As
I pored over hundreds of pictures of
her, I fully appreciated her joy of
living.
She took classes at the local community
college in all sorts of topics, studying
art, business, English, history, whatever
came along. When my youngest
brother graduated high school, she
decided to go into business and
opened a gift shop called “The Other
Nest”, which was a take on her friend
Robin’s store called “Robin’s Nest”.
They loved collaborating and Mom
loved having a thing she could call
her own. Robin stayed in our lives for
many decades, being one of the few
that came and sat with Mom as she
lay dying these last few weeks. I’m
so appreciate of such friends that had
such love for my mom.
Dad participated in getting Mom
what she needed to do and supported
whatever decision she made, whether
it was school or business. He felt
blessed to have her in his life too.
After ten years of enjoying all the
ins and outs of owning a store, Mom
closed her beloved store and went
back to school to complete a degree
in interior design then go onto earn
her ASID certification. She said she
always loved style, she always loved
making spaces great to live in, and
now she could do it full time while
spending other people’s money to do
it.
She graduated in 1991, twenty years
after her surgery and continued to
work in this field for more than 20
years. Mom continued to consult with
her clients even as her ability to walk
was compromised further.
So, two businesses and a college
degree at 58, this after raising 4
children, all of who have college
degrees and successful careers, 6
grandchildren, also all educated
and 1 young great grandchild, with
another on the way.
What’s most remarkable is that all the
while she worked with a compromised

body, she didn’t complain once. She
embraced life with a fervor seldom
seen. If you look through all her
pictures with her family, friends,
especially children and grandchildren,
she beamed a thousand watt smile.
That smile could melt the hardest
hearts.
She loved passionately. All her friends
said that she was very important
to them and some told me that she
was their most favorite person in the
whole world. This view of my mom
had me looking at her in a whole new
light. She brought joy to everyone
around them, she always moved with
an elegance and grace that is rarely
seen. Always a lady. Always loving
and always caring.
She chose life. Over and over again.
I moved back to Los Angeles at the
end of 2008 when I saw that her
compromised nervous system made
it difficult for her to stand and walk.
Dad wasn’t doing well either. I lived
with them for two out of the last six
years, getting mom dressed every
morning, helping with the chores
around the house, and buffering the
heaving demands of care-taking for
my dad.
I saw how disability and illness affects
families in a profound way. I saw how
the current medical system fails us,
missing important issues and making
it more and more difficult for mom
to recover and become independent
again. Her plight inspired me to learn
more about healing, health, and led
me to becoming the healer I am today.
I worked hard at helping Mom. I know
that she kept her memory and that she
regained some of her nerve sensations
that she wouldn’t have. The problem
is that her body had over 40 years of
inertia and that she no longer wanted
to be the center of our attention.
She hated the help. She wanted to be
tending to us, not vice versa.
Despite being in her situation, she
chose life. She chose life because
of how much she loved us. In her last
year of life, her memory faltered in
a big way, her command of English
diminished while Greek was more
understandable. Despite Mom being
in a great deal of pain, unable to
stand up any more, suffering from
infection, and bedsores, she chose life.
She was adamant about it.
I think she chose life 45 years ago
when everyone else had given up. I
think she was a healer like I am, like
my daughter is and my sister. She
healed herself to be here to carry out
the job of being the matriarch of our
family. She lived more than 40 years
beyond what anyone thought possible.
Mom lost her fight for life on April
9th. Before that, she even shooed
away the spirits that came to help
her cross over. She yelled at them as
we sat quietly nearby, “I’m not going
anywhere! There’s nowhere to go!”
She kept fighting leaving over and
over. She couldn’t move, she was in
pain, but when she saw me, her face
would light up the whole room and tell
me she loved me and didn’t want to go
because she loved her family so much.
Her last words (in Greek) to me: “my
beautiful daughter, I love you.”
Her love for her family became
poignantly obvious as I went through
her jewelry and a pendant bauble
called my name and asked me to
take it with me. Upon opening it, I
discovered pictures of all six of her
grandchildren folded down inside
it. She wore them close to her heart
every day, that’s how much she loved
us.
The pain of her loss is excruciating,
not because I’m worried about her or
about me. The pain is that I can no
longer hug her warm loving body, hear
her sweet voice and see her reaction
to me. I can’t tell her how much I
love her and can’t see her beautiful
hair and face any more, and see her
thousand watt smile any more. I miss
her desperately, as does my dad and
the rest of the family. During the last
months of her life, I didn’t let a day go
by that I didn’t embrace her several
times a day nor tell her how much I
love her. That’s the energy of what
you’ll carry with you throughout life.
Do this for your family.
There are also wonderful things about
her passing. She is no longer in pain.
My daughter’s clairvoyance has come
into prominence and we are realizing
how well developed it is. My 31
year old daughter started reporting
how she saw Mom, standing tall and
straight and showing us how she can
now move freely. She helped us find
lost items that Mom had secreted away
and only she knew where they were.
We celebrated her passing with a
prayer service in our Greek Orthodox
church. My brother, sister, daughter
and I spoke tributes to my mom. My
daughter composed and performed
a song just for her that just perfectly
described mom and brought smiles on
the faces of everyone that heard it.
During the service, my daughter was

Dr. Anastasia Chopelas is the
scientific healer. Imagine your
life out of pain, your energy high
and your brain thinking clearly.
What would your life look like?
Her clients get these kinds of
results. After s a doctorate in Chemistry, she spent
38 years at prestigious institutions in research,
where she contributed chapters in numerous books
and published articles that have since become the
genesis for courses. Anastasia is a 4th generation
psychic and powerful master healer. She trained
over 20 years in different modalities; has worked
with hundreds of clients, helping create what
most would consider as medical miracles. ac@
chromios.com; 206-349-8344
in tears. She explained later why:
she could see Mom’s spirit above
us, watching us in the church below,
dancing in joy at her freedom of
movement. As the dozens of people
in the church prayed and sent love to
her, Mom’s spirit grew brighter and
brighter until she glowed brightly as
the sun. My daughter saw firsthand
how the power of prayer was real,
tangible and powerful. This is from a
woman that never embraced prayer.
She shared this experience with our
priest, which brought a big smile to his
face as well.
Mom’s big gift to us all was a message
she sent though my daughter right after
she passed; it has great significance
to us because of what we know about
mom. She said, “the past is over. Let
it go and move forward so you can
enjoy your wonderful life and all the
great things to come.”
Now, that’s a great message for all of
us. I miss you, Mom.
My mom was practical and left me
with three mantras by which to live:
1. If there is a will there is a way.
2. There is more than one way to skin
a cat.
3. You don’t have to tell all you know.
She left the earth two years ago and
every day I use these beliefs to remind
myself of what a gift she has been to
me.
By Boni Oian
Lois Jean Rupert
Boni Oian is a Life Navigator
who helps people uncover their
potential and Author/Instructor of
Claim Your Life: Transform Your
Unwanted Subconscious Beliefs
into an Exhilarating Source of
Power. She trains teachers to
instruct her Claim Your Life process globally, is
certified as a Catalyst Coach by the Ace Success
Center and International Assn. of Professional Life
Coaches, an Akashic Record Teacher/Consultant,
and has a radio program on Raven International
Positive programing network.BoniOian@gvtc.com

My name is Tamiika Glover, I am 32 years old and my
life has been a journey to say the least but wonderful.
I grew up in Winnetka California and have traveled
many places.I have a four year old daughter who is
my pride and joy. I currently live in Merritt Island Florida
enjoying life. tamiikaglover@gmail.com
By Tamika Glover
Natalie Portia Griffin,
Wonderful Loving Mom
H
onoring my wonderful mom. Wow where
do I even start, I say this because no matter
what I say and how much I put in this article,
it wouldn't even scratch the surface of how
much I love my mom and everything she has done for me
as well as taught me. I suppose the best way to start is at
the beginning.
My mom gave birth to me on August 19 1982. My mom
Natalie Portia Griffin is and always has been an amazing
woman of power. She has one of the kindest dispositions
you will ever get the honor of knowing. She has an amazing
and unwavering faith in God and our Lord Jesus which
brings me to the first thing I am going to mention in this
article that she has taught me. That is faith, without faith,
and I do not intend to offend anyone, but without faith
in God, life is truly lacking. I have a strong faith in God
and His plan for me and that is thanks to my mom leading
me in the right direction.My mom has been blessed with
a wonderful singing voice which has lead her to doing
what she loves and being able to provide for my daughter
Hayleigh and I. She sings for a living and is not only great
at it, she loves it. It is truly amazing when you find something
you do well and make a career out of it. I always catch her
around the house singing because she just simply loves it.
Another thing I have learned from my mom is to do your
best. If you have done your best then things will be okay.
Another value and important lesson my mom has taught me
in life is respect. You must always respect others , especially
to receive respect in return. I see so much disrespect and
sass in this day and age, and quite honestly I am still a work
in progress on that but I do my best to respect my elders
and respect people in general. My mom has always been
there for me and when she could to this day she has always
given me what I have wanted , but more importantly she
has always given me what I needed. Happy Mothers Day
to my mom Natalie Portia Griffin. I love you so much you
are such an inspiration to me and I am here honoring you
because you truly deserve it and I wish I could do more for
you. Love always.

By Blair Boone-Migura
She Taught Me the Golden Rules
S
ince a very young age, I was always aware of
two things. First, just how astonishingly beautiful
my mother was. She had and still has the type of
inner and outer beauty that allows her to charm
virtually everyone she meets. Secondly, I’ve always been
keenly aware of just how fortunate I was. I was born lucky.
Like a cat who always lands on his feet, even when faced
with hardship and loss, I ‘ve managed to realize most of my
personal dreams while never forgetting the importance of
contributing something positive back not just to those in my
immediate sphere but to the world around me.
Lesson #1 – Be Courageous!
I owe much of my positive outlook on life to my beautiful
mother who instilled in me an indomitable spirit. I’ve always
observed this in her and have tried to reflect that very
attribute which has made her persevere both professionally
and privately even during some of the darkest hours. It’s
probably the thing that I am most proud to have had passed
on to me through her. As the French writer and philosopher
Albert Camus wrote “In the depths of winter I finally
learned there was in me an invincible summer”. My mother
is fearless! Far from being shy, she always attacks problems
and difficult situations head on. She rarely refrains from
speaking her mind when the occasion presents itself, and I
firmly believe that any and every courageous moment that
I have had in my life is owed to her and to her parents -
my grandparents. They were always courageous and their
instincts led them to deal with the situation at hand and the
card that was dealt (as the old saying goes). Quite simply,
it is in our family DNA to fight for what we believe, to hold
true to our principles, and to not be overtaken by fear.

Lesson #2 Have Passion!
Mother also taught me to live passionately and to not be
bound by convention. She possesses a remarkable variety
of talent and skill, and as I’ve observed her pursue a diverse
range of interests throughout her life, I have incorporated
that quality into my own life. Never be afraid to live your
life and to pursue your dreams. A life without passion and
dreams isn’t truly ‘living’ in the fullest sense of the word.
Lesson #3 Let Go Of Past Pain And Heartache And Be
Happy!
Lastly, I think this quote from writer and poet Maya Angelou
is indicative of another life lesson that I have learned
from my mother. "You can be angry but must not be bitter.
Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host but doesn't do
anything to the object of its displeasure. Use that anger
yes! You write it, you dance it, you sing it, you paint it,
you march it, you vote it, you talk it...never stop talking it”.
Like many people, my mother has known true pain. She
has been hurt but she never allowed that pain to take hold
of her and evolve into bitterness. This has allowed her to
remain youthful, optimistic, and to ultimately carve out her
own path and journey. She is happy professionally; she is
happy romantically; she is in a word….happy.
I have profound gratitude for the life lessons that my
mother has taught me and that her mother taught her AND
me. Without them I wouldn’t be half of the person that I am
today. And in case you’ve forgotten, I was born lucky!
Blair is the founder and executive director of the
Art Song Preservation Society of New York, a non-
profit that promotes the revitalization of the art song,
a style of classical music that combines poetry with
instrumentals. He graduated from Syracuse, from
which he also received a master’s degree in the
French language, literature and culture. He also holds
a master’s degree with distinction in vocal pedagogy
from Rider University’s Westminster Choir College in
Princeton, NJ. Blair is also the proud son of none other
than, Raven!

By Annette Pang
My Mother, Marguerite
I
vividly remember my mother
Marguerite as a creative,
intellectual and unique person.
It took me almost a lifetime
before I came to understand that, as
her first born of five children and her
first of three daughters, she marched
to her own drummer, while living a life
that looked pretty conservative and
traditional.
If she had any yearning to live an
atypical lifestyle, it didn’t show at all
in her predictable path of graduating
with honors at high school and
university, getting married, having
children and grandchildren. She and
many other women at time, over 90
years ago, had defined roles as a
mother, wife, daughter, daughter in
law, homemaker, parent, and member
of the church and community. She
wasn’t far out, off the beaten track,
extremely avant garde, or breaking
any rules as a rebel rouser, but inside
of her, she had the flair of a bohemian
with a ton of aplomb!
The prevailing television role models
in her day were Harriet of Ozzie &
Harriet and June Cleaver of Leave
it to Beaver, but If my mom would
have been alive to watch Beyonce, or
Lady Gaga, she could resonate and
glom onto to becoming Fierce, and
confident, rather than being fearful or
cautious for the first part of her life.
My mom was in often a mode of,
“What would the neighbors, her
peers, other relatives, her friends
say?” That really stood out for me:
she was always self-judging and self-
assessing of where she stood: what
she did, how she cooked, how much
she weighed. “Was my house clean?”
All of those self-doubting thoughts
and chatter piled on an unnecessary
heap which may have quieted her
joie de vivre. I saw how crippling that
could be, and her restraint probably
motivated me to rise above so I would
not have to weighed down by worry
with those types of expectations. Most
importantly, it probably led me to tell
others we all have insecurities, but they
don’t have to rule you.

It was a wish of mine to help My Mom
see she was not the only one on this
planet Earth who had those doubting
thoughts. I wished she had access to
the same tools and mentors as we
have today. In her time, there weren’t
any blogs, life coaching, Oprah, Dr.
Phil, Raven’s mantra of Don’t Wait To
Be Great, reality shows and televised
interventions which could have given
her validation with others who were
also held-hostage to their own harsh
inner voices.
In my opinion, she might have done
well to live elsewhere that would have
provided for more leeway, if she lived
in NYC or as a hippie in the 60’s. She
was a Deadhead and especially loved
the music of Jerry Garcia. If she was a
member of his groupie, My Mom might
have been wearing a long skirt, beads,
flowers in her hair, little make up, sans
underwear. She loved walking around
our home wearing just a white panty,
and this was in front of her 5 children
(including 2 sons) and her husband in
full view. We were accustomed to
full disclosure and transparency at an
early age.
My Mom was also an intellectual,
earning high marks, graduate
degrees and performing songs like
the complicated and furious Flight of
the Bumble Bee on the piano, such that
when her neighbors heard it on the
radio, they said, “Gee that sounds a
lot like Marguerite.” And it was.
There is much more to My Mom
Marguerite’s story especially about
how she succeeded in becoming so
comfortable with herself in her later
years, or how she managed her
diabetes, weaning off of insulin. The
main thing to remember on this Mother’s
Day is that my Mom was so brilliantly
different. If she lived today, there
would be so many more avenues for
her to demonstrate the essence of who
she was without feeling shy or timid to
let more of her genius hang-out.
For My Mom, this must have been
tedious to be somewhat locked in her
preconceived notions, but, luckily, she
was generous not to inflict that onto
me. What I will always remember
about her was that she really gave
me and my siblings the space and
freedom to become whatever we
wanted to be. Perhaps she fulfilled her
desires through her children to choose
something different to pursue, so she
didn’t dictate about what I ought to do,
and who I should marry. Many mothers
at that time would unequivocally state
that their daughters must marry the
same race…in my case, a Chinese
man. (Although I did.) Not my Mom
Marguerite, she never put boundaries
on that subject or wish for any type of
son-in-law or lifestyle.
The other point that I remember is she
always said to me, “You don’t have to
become a teacher. Choose a career
or job other than that.” Even though
she, herself, was an elementary school
teacher, she always emphasized to
her children to do something else or
develop a fun project. She wanted all
of us to pursue our passion, and she
always laughed heartily or eagerly
welcomed hearing about our stories
and “aha” moments.
If she saw that I have become a
relationship coach, after becoming a
teacher, Realtor and developer, this
legacy would warm her heart and
because it was too progressive for her
and other housewives to wear multiple
hats in those days. Her pride would
extend to seeing the blossoming for
the rest of her children. My sister is a
Transcendental Meditation teacher, in
addition to being an English teacher
and a fashion designer and forecaster,
who became a devout vegetarian,
over 45 years ago, before it was
mainstream. My brother is an avid
wind surfer, originally an engineer
and a lawyer, who converted sound
equipment purchases on ebay to
providing sound amplification for gigs
around town. My second brother is a
Certified Public Accountant and also
an active paddler and ultra-snow skier,
who is a guest lecturer at seminars on
credit unions. And my youngest sister, a
talented artistic crafter also manages
millions of dollars as a bookkeeper,
and is a background actor on Hawaii
5-0. This creative potpourri of how we
have blended our bucket list into our
lives and careers still flows forward.
It is my wish is for all to Become A
Marguerite, (BAM), and that is, Be True
To Yourself. In her name, muster up the
courage to pursue your dreams while
you also stay grounded to yourself
and rooted to your loved ones,
home and community. My Mother
Marguerite had such spirit, vigor and
she was always cheering for others!
You Only Live Once (YOLO). BAM
YOLO! She would have been tickled.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms
who to encourage us to stretch beyond
our wildest dreams.

By Vonda Grant
Live Life to the Fullest
Juanita Grant
Born May 11, 1930-May 11, 2005
75 years young
I
t gives me great honor to pay tribute and celebrate
my Mother on this blessed day; even though you’re
not here with us in my heart and mind you still live.
At times I can still hear you lovely voice reminding me
how important it is to live life to the fullest, but in doing so
keep in mind the consequences you will incur when you make
bad choices. Throughout the years I’m still encouraged by
the things you’d say that you called, “giving you the big
head.” Using words of encouragement like: “You’re my
little princess; you’re my gorgeous little beauty, you’re my
brilliant one, God’s Loving Splendor thinking, with you in
mind created you, wonderful and beautiful; shaped, mold
and called unique, he called you his own light of love, put in
you all the smarts to overcome any obstacle.
I forbid you to say, think, or receive anything that’s not
spoken out of that place of love; because God is the
greatest love and you, me and all of us were made in his
image having his DNA will help us to accomplish many great
things in life if we choose to do so; always reject anything
less than God’s love for your life; if I call you princess why
settle for being called the “B…word”, give love and fully
expect it in return because love heals any and all areas of
live and you deserve the best this life has to offer; and all
that is worthy of having and receiving because you don’t
have tomorrow, or the future you only have NOW!!! Mom,
you taught me how to be a little lady when I only thought
of wearing jeans and climbing fruit trees, to respect my
elders, to believe in God, the father, Jesus Christ and the
Holy Spirit and I are one, lay hands on yourself and repeat
– Believe by faith and release the pain and sickness to
God source of love, say that it is written: Isaiah Chapter
53:5 – My Lord Jesus was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our inequities: the chastisement of our
peace was upon him and with his strips we are herald, you
taught me to put him first in all my decision making, and he
will guide and protect me, you taught me to always be a
blessing to others, to never think small, to be a big thinker
and make a difference in the world, ask God to awaken his
faith within you and trust the higher being that I am, I am

that, I am, be the best you can be and in this life you only
meet yourself because likeminded birds of a feather flock
together, whatever you do in life do it with God’s loving
mercy, goodness and compassion, so that it comes back
to you a hundred fold because what goes around “will”
come back for you it is the law of attraction; mind your own
business, treat others as you demand to be treated and
accept nothing less, remember that you only have one life
to live, and hold others accountable and teach them to be
responsible for what they say and do as it relates to you,
your feelings and being because real love doesn’t call you
names, slam doors, say hurtful things, and is not verbally or
physically abusive…
Always be creative so that you leave no room for boredom
because an idol mind is the devils play ground; and avoid
those that come to distract and hinder; and if you and those
you hang around lack honor and respect for one another
then know that what you allow from the start will only end
up a continuation of more of the same; and, get worse!
Thanks Mom, you taught me to forgive myself and others,
give all disappointments, frustrations and anger to God
source of love and all that doesn’t serve my greatest good
turn it over to him who can keep me from falling; because
his plans for our lives are greater than our plans, and his
thoughts are higher than our thoughts. And always know that
we are over comers and no matter what; never ever give
up on your dream life that God source of the universe has
for you. Know that it takes more energy to be angry, bitter,
frustrated, disappointed etc., than it takes to be happy in
the purpose of your cause in life. It’s all about mindset.
Choose to be and feel consistently fantastic, emotionally
wonderful at all times because body and emotion are one;
and you’re the master over your existence. Don’t ever allow
negativity to fester; it’s a killer and infinite God source of
love only creates winners. History is always happening;
and the seed you scatter and plant will someday be part
of the cause that majorly impacts the world. You are
valuable so always let your light energy shine because you
are good enough!
Mother, I can
remember as
a child when
your so called
friends thought
that I was too
active and they
came together
in agreement,
and suggested
to you to take
me to the doctor to be put on a drug to dull my senses so
that I won’t be so hyperactive; and you got so ticked off
with them for saying that I needed to be drugged, you told
them that all I needed was Jesus and a sometime spanking,
and to get the hell out of our house and for as long as we
live never to come back and showed them all to the door.
And in that moment you were my hero. And for that I am
happy and grateful to have had the honor and privilege of
you as my Mother; and I thank God for you for standing up
for me. In my heart I do believe that if you were here you
would be happy to know that I’m no longer hyperactive but
instead I’m a first-time author, and I have learned to take
that hyperactive energy and put it to good use: playing
piano, guitar, writing, and being a creator as you taught
me to do. And yes I’m still setting fashion trends … and
these are just some of the driving forces that my Mother
used as golden rules in my life.

By Dr. Tony Migura
Lessons from Mom
M
oms have many
lessons to teach their
child as they grow up.
Be yourself. Make
friends. Use sunscreen. Dream big. Risk
failure. Don’t swim on a full stomach.
My mother, Lorena Migura, has
always been a role model to me.
the center of our lives.
When I was growing up, she was a
hands-on mother, and an incredibly
driven mother who was determined to
provide a path to higher education,
success, and a solid work ethic, all
while being a highly active participant
in it. In doing so, she also showed
me how to be an active leader and
contributor in the community and to not
just sit by as a passive observer.
When I would talk back or do
something that disappointed her
she showed me how to play good
cop and bad cop effectively when
dealing with discipline (LOL), but
yet she always reminded me that
she would love me
unconditionally. My mother also
passed on the important talent in life
of knowing how to cook and
most importantly to cook with ‘love’
as the main ingredient. At the
same time, Mom taught us that God
was irst but family was a very
strong priority, and by eating
together regularly each day, a
strong bond was created that has
been a model for us to emulate.
Moreover, she taught me how to
love and to show my emotions to the
world, and that emotions were
something not to be ashamed of as
you live your life. Finally and most
importantly she gave me my faith in
God and taught me that God truly
needs to be first and at the center of
our lives
Dr. Migura, 37, is a pulmonary critical-care doctor.
He works in New York for Advanced ICU Care,
a St. Louis company that provides monitoring
and consultation by doctors via
telecommunications to intensive care units in
hospitals.

By Sherry Prindle
GiberWalky Traditions: 3
Things I Learned from
My Mother
T
iny Bubblios in the winey . . . she always sang
or hummed or whistled under her breath, and
called me the funniest names: Sheraldo, Shorl,
Surlymo.
Mom was the youngest of six and mousy until her 20s when
she turned into a swan, married a successful chemist and
enjoyed 10 years of fun with him before having me. We
continued having fun together, and they were married 36
years when he died at age 56.
M
ary Prindle was quiet
and unassuming at
work, but at home she
was quite a terror. She
had something to say about how we
did everything. As the only child, I might
have felt victimized by her criticism if she
hadn’t had such a good sense of humor
about it.
I lost her last September and will actually
miss is her criticism. It was funny if you
saw how compulsive it was and how she
was only trying to help. And the best part
was that she so often spoke in gibberish.
In choosing three things I learned from
her, I could have chosen some of the
“what not to do” lessons. We all have
those, but what lingers as I remember
her is her gibberish, daily walking, and
family traditions.
Gibberish
Mary Poppins was right. Ridiculous words
like Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
cheer you up and allow you to gain
perspective. I feel like I am singing the
score to my life when I twist the sounds
into nonsensical syllables. And gibberish

catches on. I called my college friends gibberish names that
they liked so much they still use them as email addresses
and Twitter handles today. So enjoy this magazine’s
AWOPegloskos.
Walking
Mom said she was unhappy in her 40’s – low energy and
motivation. At age 48 she started walking every day. No
matter what happened, she walked without fail, even in
a snowstorm or around and around the living room if she
absolutely couldn’t go out. It was funny to see her parading
through the house or piling on the warm clothes to go out.
She made friends with the other walkers in the mall and got
a daily boost of passion for life. Walking together is what
we did every single day I came to visit her. I now walk 15
to 25 thousand steps per day and feel my life is enriched
by it and the memories of Mom it brings.
But it doesn’t have to be walking. Find something you are
going to do every day without fail, it will provide structure,
motivation, continuity, and discipline.
Family Traditions
Every Easter morning Mom came into my room saying, “The
Easter Bunny’s been here” in a high-pitched voice. We
always made omelets for breakfast and had Strawberry
Crème eggs with coffee afterward. On Christmas Eve we
opened only one present, and it was new pajamas. I brought
these traditions to the “families” I have created with friends
who continue to do them even after we go our separate
paths. It is gratifying to create my own traditions. One
Father’s day I was camping with extended “family” when I
asked the kids to go into the woods and look for potatoes. I
had thrown the remaining contents of a 20-pound bag into
the woods thinking I had all I needed. I burnt the first batch
in the hot campfire, though, and engaged the kids’ help in
retrieving a second batch. As they brought back handfuls
of potatoes, I saw wonderment in their eyes and realized
they thought that was where potatoes came from – that you
gathered them in the woods like mushrooms. We had such
a good laugh and started the tradition of potato hunting
every Father’s Day.
In this age of constant change, a little continuity in the form
of family traditions adds meaning and provides a yardstick
with which to measure time with loved ones.
Mom’s time was cut short, but her legacy lives on in the
GibberWalky Traditions I perpetuate as her progeny. And
on this first Mother’s Day since I lost her, I challenge you to
make something sound funny, make a walk or some other
habit a daily non-negotiable, make new traditions, and
make every day the best you can make it, for yourself and
your loved ones.

By Scott Paton
Don't Take Yourself Too
Seriously: Orma Paton
M
y mother, Orma Paton, was born in southern
Saskatchewan, Canada. Her parents, from
German and British stock, were born in
the late 19th century. Her dad came from
Ontario while her mom was born in Nebraska.
Her mother was the stricter of the two parents. She was
always getting into trouble on their farm on the prairies of
Saskatchewan.
They grew most of their own food. Carrots, potatoes, beans
and corn came from the garden and chickens, pigs and
cows were allover the place. During the Great Depression,
they received terrible tasting salted fish from Ontario.
Orma wanted to be a teacher when she grew up, but her
younger sister's death at age seven, changed that as she
enrolled in nursing college in Regina.
She met her husband, Sandy, when a college friend set
her up on a blind date. Dad thought it was love at first
sight. Mom wasn't so sure. They dated for 4 years before
marrying in November, 1954, when Orma was 21.
Mom thinks I am like my Dad as I am always joking and
telling stories which no one knows if they are true or not.
When I was born, they thought I was the ugliest baby ever!
When I was a toddler, though, I made up for it in cuteness
and activity. They thought my sister was going to be a boy.
She was so big. They didn't have a name picked out (they
had a boy's name picked out).
If Orma could go back in time she would go back to when
we were in university that was so much fun and a great
time.
What she loves about her life so far and is grateful for is
the time she had with Dad. They were best friends with a
wonderful relationship, and had many adventures together.
Over time, Orma has changed the way she looks at
life/people by not being so critical and becoming more
accepting.
If Orma could write a message to each of her children and
grandchildren and put it in a time capsule for them to read
20 years from now, she would tell them to be honest, treat
everyone kindly and don’t take yourself too seriously.
Scott Paton, The Dean Of Blogonomics and Podology,
has been Podcasting since March, 2005. His new
course, Power Podcasters, has almost 3000 students
and 30+ five star reviews.
www.PowerPodcasters.com

By Regina Clay
Reason for My Breakthrough
B
eing a Single Mother has
not always been easy for
me, but it has been made
easier than probably most
because of my friend, mentor, #1 fan,
role model and biggest supporter,
MY MOM, Ossie G. Clay. You see
this woman is an extraordinary type
of Mother and Nana. She sacrifices
so much for her family near and far.
I have grown up watching a woman
who traveled back and forth to North
Carolina to care for her mother and
then a few years later do the very
same thing for her brother. She gives
unselfishly of her time, talent and
treasure and asks for nothing in return.
Let me tell you a little bit about this
remarkable woman that I happen to
call “ Mommy” even at 52 years of
age.
Ossie Clay, a 42 year resident of
Howard County, has dedicated much
of her life to service. Service to others
is the very fabric of her life. Her
professional career was one of service.
She taught in the Howard County
Public School System (HCPSS) for 25
dedicated and successful years. In her
continued quest to be of service to the
community, led her to an appointment
on the Howard County Commission for
Women (HCCW) where she served
two- four year terms. Upon completion
of her terms in Howard County, the
Governor appointed her to serve on
the Maryland Commission for Women
(MCW) where she also served two four
year terms. My mother, as an educator
in the HCPSS touched the lives of many
students and families. Her former
students are today’s leaders serving in
a variety of professions at the Local,
State and National level. Ossie Clay
has stated in her remarks “To have
had a small part in helping to shape
the future of so many young people
is very gratifying.” Perhaps one of
her most significant contributions to
Howard County has been initiating
the Howard County Women’s Hall of

Fame (HCWHF). During her time of
service on the HCCW she introduced
to her fellow commissioners the idea
of sponsoring the HCWHF. The
commissioners embraced the idea and
appointed her to serve as Chairperson
to plan and execute the 1st HCWHF.
This tradition has been continuing for
the last 17 years.
During her time at the Maryland
Commission for Women (MCW)
she chaired many committees.
As Chairperson of Education
and Dissemination she led a
statewideo”Healthy Bones” Awareness
program with special emphasis on
Osteoporosis. Her service has not been
limited to career endeavors, serving
on Commission and Boards. She used
her talents and leadership skills to
work with youth in the community.
She served as Teen Advisor of the
Columbia Jack and Jill of America,
Inc. Teen Group and most recently as
co-leader of Girls Scout USA Central
Maryland Troop #580. Additionally,
she has held leader ship positions in
numerous Education, Civic and Social
organizations where she has held
membership. Ossie leads and serves
from a perspective of a positive,
meaningful relationship with others
so that together we help to create a
better world for all.
My mother has been married to my
father Jasper R. Clay, Jr. for 53 years
and as a result of this union, myself and
my younger brother. My mother made
sacrifices in her personal career but
finds being able to raise children as
one of her greatest accomplishments.
She has recently become a Nana of
two beautiful grandchildren, Alisa and
Antonio and this is where she has been
so instrumental in my life. She supports
me with my children on a “daily” basis
and this is why I count her as the reason
why I was able to “Breakthrough” in so
many areas in my life. She never let
me get down on myself and continued
to encourage me no matter how many
missteps I took. I count my mother an
“Amazing Woman of Power and I
am excited that she is included in this
special edition.
Regina Clay grew
up in Columbia,
Maryland. She
received her
B.A. degree in
Communications
from the University
of Virginia and her
Master of Divinity
degree from
Howard University
School of Divinity.
Public Speaking and Leadership have always
been in Regina’s DNA since she was 11 years old.
Regina was invited at the age of 16 to speak at the
Department of Health and Human Services for their
Martin Luther King Jr. program.
Regina is an ordained minister and has had
numerous preaching and teaching assignments
throughout the Eastern Region. Regina is
described as a teacher extraordinaire and has the
ability to WOW her audience. Regina captures the
unique gift of speaking extemporaneously and
can be called on at any time to speak to women,
corporate executives, youth, Government staff and
faith based organizations. Regina is a student of
Dellatorro McNeal’s Platinum Platform Speakers
Training. She is currently the host of the “Single
Mom Breakthrough Radio Show” on the Amazing
Women of Power Radio Network.
Throughout all of her life and through every
obstacle, Regina has possessed fortitude to
transform her life and she teaches others how to
do the same.
REGINA CLAY, TRANSFORMING LIVES LIKE A
POTTER TRANSFORMS CLAY
reginamclay@gmail.com; 443-992-8131

By Portia Grifffin
Two Moms are Better Than One
S
ome are blessed to have a wonderful mother. I
was blessed to have two, one who birthed me, and
one who raised me.
They were sisters so on this Mother’s Day, I send
my love to these two beautiful ladies Mattie Eliza Booker
Griffin and April Lee Booker Brown. May you rest in Gods
love ... always your daughter Natalie Portia Griffin.
Happy Mother's Day to my daughter Tamiika Marshay
Glover. Mommie loves you to LIFE!!!

By Peggy Knudson
What Makes a Mom ...
I
t’s certainly more than just
giving birth. How do we learn
to mother? By example or
simple love?
I can say from personal experience,
it must be simple love. My mother,
Dorothy Putnam, lost her father at age
5 and her mother by age 9. She and
her 3 siblings found themselves living
with a step-father that wanted nothing
to do with them. He loaded all the
kids up and took them from Iowa to
their Mother’s family in California.
While there, they decided all the
kids should be put in an Orphanage
and for whatever reason, chose
Chicago where there was a Catholic
Orphanage.
Before they could load up again, the
youngest, Margaret at only 1.5 years
old fell into a irrigation ditch and
developed pneumonia. No way can
you take a young child that sick across
the country – so Margaret was left with
her grandparents, while my Mother,
and her sister and brother were taken
to Chicago and unceremoniously
dumped at the orphanage – never to
see any family again.
At age 18 – the kids were told to
leave, old enough to live on their own.
Growing up in this particular facility,
well before children had any “rights”
and before abuse of children was
acknowledged – was not an easy ride.
Oh the stories she would tell me as I
got old enough to understand. It was
not a pretty or happy childhood.
Mom met my Dad a few years later…
and wouldn’t you know it, he also
had a parentless childhood. He was
placed in an Orphanage himself – in
Iowa – where he was adopted out in
the middle of the night to a single man
who claimed to be a Baptist Minister.
He was NO mad of GOD. My father
found he experienced much of the
same abuse and neglect my mother
had growing up. I’m sure it was a big
factor in their relationship.
I bring this tidbit about my Dad to
the story to illustrate that neither of
my parents had ever been parented.
They had no parents. People in their
lives but no one to love and nurture
them– all the things parents do to
make us what we are as adults.
So back to my original question….
What makes a Mom? Mine had no
example to follow as she had never
had a real Mom for the majority of
her life. But she had love in her that
was unlimited. She put her terrible
childhood behind her, worked hard
and did her very best to raise me and
my sister and two brothers the best she
could.
She was an incredible women that
I learned so very much from – and I
would not be the person I am today
without her.
Thanks Mom – love you and remember
you every single day.
Peggy Knudson
is the owner of
Outstanding Virtual
Assistance, providing
varying levels of
business support
and technology
consultation. She
works out of her home
at 8000’ in Pagosa
Springs, Colorado along with her assistant, aka
hubby Murray and four furry felines, Bob, Bentley,
Gandalf and Merlin.

By Ced Reynolds
Essie Reed
I
talk about my mother a lot. Being a mama's boy
and all I asked my mother what was it she did to
make me the man I am today? She answered,
she thinks she taught us (my brother and I) well.
One of the things that sealed the deal was we had
to maintain good grades as we entered public school
having been in private school for the 1st years of primary
school.
Remembering when I was just 5 years old, I my mom was
single. We had just moved into a new home and I noticed
my dad wasn't with us. This was when I noticed how mom
just took it upon herself to manage our home and get my
brother and I in private school. Mom had a full time job
with a major utility company but she also was up every
night sewing clothes for other folks. Little did I know she
was earning extra money the pay the bills being a single
mother?
As I moved up in age, I noticed mom had a male friend
who she worked with that was quite a nice guy. I really
thought the word of him. He would attend our baseball
games, basketball games and he made the nicest Po Boy
sandwiches in the world.
You talk about an instigator that was me. I was instrumental
in my mother marrying my step father. At 11 years old, I
said, “You know, if you married my mom, you could have a
key to the house.” Of course my mother almost blew her
top. I mean she couldn't believe I would say something like
that. Lo and behold, my step father did propose to my
mother shortly thereafter and we became a new family.
One think about my mother was she was always consistent.
She didn't put up with mess and she expected the best from
my brother and me. Even the way we talked was different
than our friends and family. Mom would correct us all the

time. It got to the point where we were so proper that our
friends and family thought something was wrong with us.
For years I watched my mother model consistency with
just two companies in her entire career as an employee.
She continued to progress in management and eventually
retired after 25 years at 52 years old with full benefits. I
mean this was an amazing thing to me because I was an
adult and fully understood that what she had just done was
a feat that many people weren't able to do.
Today at 74 years old, Essie Reed is still retired but lives a
life full of vigor and vitality. It's hard keeping up with her
schedule today even as it was back in the day. Mom and
my step dad were retired at the same time and while he
was alive (until December 1996), they put together cruises
and they traveled the world together.
Even as my step dad passed away, mom continued to help
folks put together cruises and she doesn't travel as much
but she does get out of the country about once or twice a
year.
Her closing thoughts were:
1. How well she protected her integrity
2. For her life to have mattered as she passed through it
3. Faithful servant until the end
4. For her children to set an example for their children
Entrepreneurial Pastor who empowers
believers to evangelize everywhere
everyday via social media.

By Norma T. HollisTo You, Mother
O
f all the things in life
endearing to the heart.
A Mother's love's
essential to give life the
right start.
A Mother's role's not easy, you could
say it is a trip,
'Cause life just keeps on changing and
the rules get changed a bit.
So the rules you learned some years
ago are no longer those that win,
'Cause life just keeps on changing and
the roles of mothers bend.
And mother's lives get trying too, you
just don't know what's what
But you pray and keep on hanging in
and sharing mother love.
It takes a strength unchallenged for
successful motherhood,
To teach a child abilities to deal with
all life's moods.
On this day I give my thanks to you
with respect and honesty
For all the love of motherhood you
shared unselfishly.
'Tis truly quite remarkable the strength
which you endure,
Much more is god's blessing to me
To have been yours, dear Mother!
Norma T. Hollis is a
prolific, multi-gifted,
transformational artist
who expresses herself
as a trainer, speaker and
coach. She channels
her passionate belief
in the human spirit into
programs and practices
that help people find, live and share the spirit that
lives within. As an Authenticity Expert, Norma’s
workbuildshealthymindsets,expandspurposeand
creates practices that produce healthy, productive
and authentic contributors to society. Norma
is author of numerous books and programs on
authenticity including the founder of theAuthenticity
Assessment (www.AuthenticityAssessment.com),
the Global Authenticity Movement and Authenticity
Games. Coaching@NormaHollis.com

By Mary Smith-Moore
My Mom, Proverbs 31
M
y Mom, Georgia W. Garrett, was born
October 18, 1936, In Canton, MS her
parents, were separated when my mom
was a young girl, I think that had a very
devastating effect on my mom, Her older brother and sister
had a different dad, them my grandma's next 4 children
had a different dad also, so in a way I think she felt alone
and that she never really fit in. But my mom was beautiful
inside and out, I remember when my mom would come to
school, dressed so nice, her hair was flowing and always
neat, never a hair, out of place, even then I was so proud
of her!!!! Everywhere she went she turned heads.
I feel my mom's love for her family stems from her childhood,
and not feeling loved. She spent time with her dad and his
new wife but still that was not the same as having your real
parents under the same roof, her own complete family.
Mom was raised in the south, Canton Mississippi, back in
the 30's - can you imagine the prejudice, A young dark
skin girl, with two older light skin siblings, My mom
started doing household chores at a very early age to
help my grandmother, with her additional 4 children,
she cared for her younger brothers and sisters, washed
and ironed their clothes by hand, combed their hair, and
cooked their food, imagine a child so small she had todrag a chair around with to reach the cabinets, the stove,
the sugar and flour but she never complained when telling
her story. She always got A's in school, played sports such
as baseball and basketball. Once again she excelled, I
know she was an awesome player because when I was a
child I saw my mom play baseball, she was always
the first one chosen by the neighborhood teams. She
could hit and throw they called her Mighty Joe Jr,.
played cards you name it she played and won! She had
so many trophies. My mom taught me how to jump
rope, regular and double Dutch, play jacks, shoot
marbles, and do the yo-yo, hop scotch and throw the
spinning top. She had healing hands, I remember two
injuries that, should have left me badly scared, but till
this day unless I point them out, you can tell that an
injury took place. I got hit in the fore head with a
baseball bat and burned my hand very badly playing
with a red hot poker. Thinking on it she had magic
hands they could do anything, cook, grow flowers, do
hair, heal, she was a combo platter, two snaps and a
circle.
A strong faith in God I always said she had His

private number
and was very
intuitive, there
was this time after
Clarence and I
had first moved
to Houston L'shion
our first born had
gotten very sick
and had been
hospitalized, that
night after we had
gotten home from
the hospital my
mother called to
say hello, Mary what's wrong with my baby, no one had
called her, We were not going to call until we found out
what was wrong, they were still running tests. There was
this game I would play with myself, I would sit in school
and think about what I wanted for dinner, and when I got
home it would be made, the first time was cabbage, sweet
potatoes, corn bread, fried chicken with a peach cobbler,
like magic, everything was there. Her love for people that
equaled only God's, her kindness knew no boundaries.
Georgia had so much self-esteem, for all the reasons that
she had for self-pity, low self-esteem, to live in forgiveness,
and bitterness, my mom did not let her circumstances keep
her stuck. She was the Phoenix Rising.
I remember when I was 8 or 9 I got this organ for Christmas,
it was the neatest thing it was a real miniature organ, I was
trying to to play these two songs but I had never heard
them before so I could not get the beat, she knew the
songs Ava Maria, and Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes,
she always repeated, What does not kill you makes you
strong Frederick Nietzsche my Canton, Mississippi Mom.,
where did she get it? She loved games shows, all of them
Jeopardy, Concentration, Wheel of Fortune, Let’s Make A
Deal, she was so good!!!!.
My Mom really stood out to me when I was in high school.
When basement parties were the rage, my parties were
the best. Mothers had to come and get their daughters,
cause all the basketball players, football players, and
all around hotties would be there, my mom serving food
homemade Tacos, Chimichanga Chips, Dips, her best recipe
punch, that my friends would spike lol.. I did the Air Fro, but
when I saw corn rolls in a magazine I thought they were so
pretty but my hair was kinky and I did not want the natural
hair version, so my mom pressed my hair then corn rolled
it, it was beautiful, But how did she know how to do that???
I am going to say one more thing, I think my mom's marriage
to my dad was arranged, my aunt Mary's husband my
Uncle Walter, was my dad's
uncle, my dad was much older than my mom....makes you
want to go hmmmm. I will go more into that in my next
article.
I was fortunate enough to have two awesome mothers and
great women of Faith, my mother-in-law Rose Mary Moore.
Both are gone now, but put so much into my life, Mom 2
raised 5 kids after the separation from Clarence's dad.
Went to the rival high school Washington my high school
while her children went to Roosevelt, got her
diploma went on to college Purdue Calumet University
where she graduated Magna cum Laude...So until my
next article Rose Mary Moore and Georgia Marlene
Garrett-Smith, Who Can Find A Virtuous Woman? For
Her Price Is Far Above Rubies
Things My Mom Taught Me:
My Love God and Faith In God...You can do all things
through God Who Strengthens You.
Love your family unconditionally
The Mother should Never out Dress Her Kids, Everyone
Should Be Dressed To The Nines, From the bath to your
shined shoes lol
Self Respect, Self Esteem, And To Respect Others If They
Let You. You Can Do Bad By Yourself....
Mary Smith- Moore, Talk Show Host Of The Year
2014
3 Time Talk Show Winner 2013
Author, CD Producer, Creator of 5 Fabulous F's
To Take You From Just Surviving To Thriving
Strategy Sessions On Faith and Forgiveness For
The Wounded Heart
Speaker and Member Of 3 Mastermind s
mary7god@aol.com; 832 526 8825

By L.J. Jackson
From Foster Child to
Mommy of the Year
I
t was a hard knocks life for my
mom, Olivia Davis, growing up
in foster care after her mother
died in a fatal car accident.
Despite her mother (my grandmother)
not always treating her and her sisters
as a mother should, they loved her
dearly and cherished the fun times
they had together. So you can imagine,
how much the loss of their mother
hurt their hearts,
especially since they
all ended up being
split up after it was
determined that no
one in the family
could take all three
girls.
Based on her
experience in the
foster care system, my
mom had no choice
but to figure things out
on her own. Having
dropped out of high
school (later earned
her GED) and finding
herself at the age of
18 years old, excited
about the right to vote
and both anxious and
eager to be a mom to
her first born child (my sister).
With no real life role models or
examples of what a family should look
like, she took her cues from Television
shows she watched. Creating fun,
simple, yet incredible family traditions
for us like: going to the Drive-In
movies, eating dinner together every
night, having family outings, playing
board games, and making things like
our very own glazed donut holes!
While these family traditions provided
us with great memories, there were
many challenges we faced as a young
family. A lot of which was due to
the gap in knowledge my mom had
from having to grow up fast- with
her own needs from her painful past
unaddressed and unmet. So for a
long period of time, we felt angry
and silently distant from our mom,
wondering what went wrong; resulting
in us, feeling a lack of love, connection,
and like oil and water when we tried
to do things together as a family later
on.
The good news is that we didn’t give
up on each other and our relationships
began to mend when our mother asked
us for forgiveness and was willing to
be open and honest with us. The funny
thing is we’ve grown so close that both
my sister and I enjoy our relationship
and time with our mother so much,
that we don’t like going a day without
having at least one conversation, if not
two or three with her.
We’re so proud of her for doing the
best she knew how to do, to raise
us with the few tools she had, and
for growing both personally and
professionally as she’s pursued her

mission in life: to give care to those
who need it! Having pursued her goal
of working in the medical field, and
becoming a Medical Assistant; going
on to Property Management, owning
her own Daycare, and now pursuing
her current goals as an Entrepreneur.
If she were to write an autobiography
of her life thus far, it would be broken
into four main parts: Learning (Learn
from others), Teaching (Teach others),
Walking (Walk with others), and
Listening (Listening to others).
I’ve learned many things from my mom,
but here are the top 3 things I want to
thank her for. I learned and gained
the value of Integrity, by hearing her
say these simple phrases that you
may have heard yourself, “God don’t
like ugly.’ ‘What goes around comes
around.” I also learned the value of
Connect with L.J.
Jackson, M.S.,
P.P.S, CMC at www.
personalpowerwithin.
com. Women’s
Empowerment Expert
Coach and Mentor with
20 years of experience
helping others save
their dreams and restore
hope to their heart. L.J. is a certified Master-
Success Coach, certified Master-NLP Coach, and
a Strategic Interventionist trained through Tony
Robbins’ official life coach training program. She
also uses her experience as a School Counselor
and credentialed School Psychologist, to assist
women in understanding themselves and their
children in K-12 and beyond.
Hospitality from our southern roots
and her teaching me to “Treat people
like you want to be treated”. And last,
but not least, I learned Creativity from
watching her model how to have fun,
love, and laughter with both friends,
family, and neighbors before “Design
on a Dime” was ever invented.
And this year, she’s earned our Mommy
of the Year award for being the best
mom ever in providing us with comfort,
guidance, wisdom, and support as
we’ve faced setbacks, upsets, and
experienced the loss of five family
members in the past five months.
Words can’t express how grateful
and appreciative we are to have you
as our mom. Thank you and Happy
Mother’s Day!
http://redcarpetinterviewsecrets.com/icon

By Lorena Douglas
Memorable Moments
of Expressions
When it comes to the
first love of your life,
most of us will agree
with our mother.
That loving being,
filled with patience
and understanding.
The one that always
comes through,
regardless of her
own condition. That
fighting spirit that
does not measure
time in hours, or
affection in levels,
or kindness with
actions. A mother is
the guardian every
newborn deserves
and she will be there
day and night, even
when you get so tall
that you can reach
the top shelf by your own means. Sadly, the same levels
of happiness a mother will make you feel will be just
as strong as those of despair and loneliness one feels
when she eventually and inevitably leaves us alone to go
through the next phases of our lives. So, what is there to
do when we are suddenly facing the world by ourselves?
When the date comes and you have to face your first and
continued days of Mother´s Day without your mother, I
would subject you to wake up and take a little time for
yourself, think about your favorite thing about her until it
brings a smile to your face. When you have reached that
point, maintain that image and take a couple of deep
breaths to really let the memory sink in. It is not a crime to
cry, but if you manage to build a positive memory form this,
you will have a great start in your day and you will get to
enjoy a different kind of experience. This is a long process
and one may not be able to actually see how possible
it is to move on until a considerable amount of time and
grieving has passed. Adjusting to a new situation requires
to go through the hardest moments of it. There is no magic
formula to get rid of the process or to jump ahead in time
and successfully feel like wounds have healed. Coping with
a loss and it is never set in stone, every person deals with
it in a different manner. In this case, we will be focusing on
how to face a rough date when you have lost your mother.
So This year May, 2015 I wanted to share this Mothers
Day with my family sharing our memorable moments with
our mother. Maybe it will help bring healing and a way to
reflect back and bring a smile, joy in our hearts together.
So when we all read this for years to come and share it
with our children, children for ever. A family of 15 two
sibling have one to be with our parents in heaven Curtis Jr.
And Isaiah.
Memorable moment (Lorena),
She always would invent a new dish when we did not have
what she needed in the house to cook and it was so… good

Amazing Women Magazine May 2015

Amazing Women Magazine May 2015

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