MOMMA SAID NOT TO!

I was talking with a friend recently (more like chastising her for doing something silly), and she said, ‘that’s what my mother would say’. I thought about it, and that’s what my Momma would have said to her too! Made me smile, and all this was written in that moment….

When we were much younger, Momma would feed us before we went to a birthday party. Why? “So we wouldn’t go there and eat like we’d just been released from prison”, she’d say. I love my mother! And you know, I’ve taken that habit with me o, I try to go ‘almost stuffed’ to any event where there’ll be food. And when I’m hungry and in the buffet line, sometimes I see my Momma’s face in my head and it makes me chuckle! I love you Momma!

You know, it’s the little things that define a person; the little instructions/rules we had as children that define who we are as adults. Unconsciously, those pearls of knowledge stay and I guess that’s what Proverbs alludes to in saying, “….and when he is old he will not depart from it”.

My mom taught me, if it’s not ours, it is not yours. And so I couldn’t go to school with one pencil and come home with four.  What!! She’d march me back to school the next day and I’d return the ones that didn’t belong to me, probably after getting a good smacking too!

Momma taught us never to accept any gifts without clearing with her first. Of course that meant immediately we collected it, to take it to her and she’d bless it before we could eat, play with or use it.

It was a Sunday, and I must have been about four years old. Sunday school class was over and I’d run from my class to the choir in the ‘big’ church where Momma was. Cute and adorable as I was (wink), a family friend saw me and gave me a sweet. I thanked her and in my little mind, the distance between my Momma and I was too much to cover just to show her a sweet, and too far for her to see me anyway.

For good measure, I backed the choir, unwrapped the sweet, and popped it into my mouth. I closed my eyes and was just about to run my tongue over the sweet when I heard my name. Opened my eyes and it was like my mother had teleported cos she was now standing in front of me! In one fluid movement, she slapped me, and then used two fingers to scoop the sweet out of my mouth. I couldn’t even cry; I guess I was too stunned by the turn of events plus I had just done wrong.  Did I ever do that again? I doubt.

Mwah! Love you Momma!

Momma taught me never to settle. Why have a B when you can get an A+? Why be an ordinary member of the class when you can lead it? Why be a regular Christian when you can have an extraordinary relationship with God?

That’s where I’m at today; why settle for less? Why look down on yourself and the things you can do or become? Why settle for  that lame, insecure, mediocre bastard because you think the clock is ‘ticking’? Especially when deep down you know you’ve had and can have better? Why settle for ‘good’ when you can be ‘employee of the month’ several times over?

Be the best, don’t settle for less

Go the extra mile, make the extra pile

Trust in God today, your hard work and toil will pay

………..

(So I ran out of things to rhyme with here but I’m sure you get the general idea)!

Wait…that rhymed! That’s another rhyme! *off I go in search of a record deal*

P:S – did I mention your dream of being the best has to be feasible, realistic, that kind of thing?

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• Momma I love you (missfoureyes.wordpress.com)
• Remembering Momma (selahvtoday.typepad.com)
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• What Momma Says (mommasmoneymatters.com)