by Juanita Gooden

Created on: January 14, 2008

I feel that my mother is the most important person to ever live.
When I was growing up my mother loved cherished, and sheltered her
children. We were not allowed to spend the night over to friends
houses. Mom, made us be in the house and ready for bed before it
got dark outside. Mom cooked meals, cleaned house, and washed clothes
every day of the week. We were raised to respect adults. When it came

to dealing with school, mom made it very clear that education was
very important. She used to always say: "Books Before Boys!" My mom
even made up a song about school and its important rules.

One day my mother got sick and fainted in the hallway at our house.
There was a couple of times when mom went shopping and got sick. She
would have to find a place to go lay down for a few minutes. I
remember one day, my mom's heart was hurting very bad. She had to
go to the park and lay on a bench. When my mother felt better, she
went back to the grocery store and continued to shop. My mom was
determined to be strong and take care of her children. I never saw
my mother cry. She said, with the help of God, she could do anything.

My mother was always talking about God. I remember, at night, before she
went to bed, mom would always get on her knees and pray. On Sundays
before mom went to church, she would gather the family around the
television. We would all hold hands, bow our heads, and listen as the
preacher on television said a prayer. In the morning times before
going to school, we would give a little respect to God by listening to
Mama say aloud our morning prayer. Mom encouraged her children to trust
in God. I always feel his presence of love around me because of my mother's
prayers. I feel that her prayers has worked many miracles for our family.

My mother was a fearless woman when it came to protecting her children from harm.
When I was a teenager, I almost stepped on a rattle snake one day while I was walking in
some tall grass. I screamed and started running for the house. My mom ran out of
the house and headed for the snake. By the time she grabbed someting to kill it with,
the snake went back into the woods. I think that my mom like to kill snakes. I remember,
one time there was a snake near our chicken coupe. That day my mom was sitting in the
sun to let her very long hair dry. When mom saw the snake, she killed it with a garden
hoe. My mama was not afraid of snakes. She once lived in a house that had snakes underneath
the mattress. My mother is truly my hero. I could never do some of the things

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