This tribute is to and for my mother, Ms. Juanita Smith, but in reality it is also a tribute to every ‘real mother’ in the world today. A real mother, like my mother, does not simply give birth. They nurture, they give before they get. They put their children first, and make sure the child or children has all of the skills and gifts they need to go out into the world and to thrive.
Most of all, mothers — real mothers — make sure that their children absolutely know, that they are loved. My mother did this, above all things. There is nothing more important or more impactful than a child knowing that ‘they are loved.’ My mother did that for me — telling me ‘she loved me every day of my young life.’ And it stuck. In fact, today it is probably my most valued personal attribute of the soul: self love. On this point alone, my mother ‘did her job.’
And so, I salute mothers who do the job of mothering, and not simply the task of ‘having children.’ There is a difference. A big one. On behalf of my brother Dave ‘Darnell’ (Donnie) Harris, Jr., and Mara Lamont (Montie) Harris, we say ‘thank you’ mom! You did your job, and then you served God’s mandate in all of our lives: nurture goodness into a troubled world.
