An Imperfectly Perfect Woman
By DG Santana
I was blessed with the privilege of writing an inspiring piece about an empowering Black woman, and the very first woman that came to mind was my beautiful mother. There are so many empowering Black women in the world today, that the list is never-ending, but why write about any of them, when I was raised witnessing the making of one?
I'm going to give you guys a good peek into her life journey. Of course, I won't cover her day-to-day life, but I'll try my best to summarize it, and paint the best picture. Hopefully this story motivates someone who needs inspiration.
See, my mom needed motivation when she was a young lady, struggling to make her own way in the world, and I guess that's where I and my brother came in. We started out in Atlanta, Georgia, where she worked mostly overnight security jobs. We moved from place to place every couple of years, but it never mattered to me or my brother at the time, because our home was with her.
When I was about nine years old, she packed our things and moved us up north, to NYC. We never questioned that move either, but I believe it was for a fresh start. I can't speak for my brother, because I'd be lying, but I know the move was tough for me and my mother. She was struggling to get established in the high-priced city, and I was old enough to notice.
We started living with family members, but it didn't work out for too long. I can clearly recall that struggle, and even though my mother probably felt drowned by the intense pressure, she never showed it to us, or took her adult problems out on us. She's such a strong woman. I literally never heard her complain about it. Instead, she always taught us how to survive, keep our heads up, and remain positive through tough situations. A good example is the quality time we spent together living in a small apartment.
It was really different for us because she always rented nice houses in Atlanta. The first apartment we lived in was really small, even for New York. That was perfect for our trio, and like I said, we spent some good times together in the midst of those unfortunate times. Those are some of the most memorable moments of my childhood because I knew we were going through a major struggle, but my mother had the ability to make it seem otherwise.
Fortunately, that particular struggle was short lived. My mother grinded hard to get us up out of there, into a really nice place, in the same area of our schools. It was a dream come true for me and my brother, because we didn't have to travel hours to school every day, and I'm sure my mother was happy to have her own comfortable space, but she still had to travel hours to work. She eventually started college classes, got her associates and went on to graduate with a Bachelor's degree. She juggled school with the rest of her obligations. She was a woman with a lot of weight on her shoulders but carried it so well. It was amazing.
This was around the time I was coming up in age. Before I knew it, I was twelve, and I began to run the streets slowly, but surely. Of course, my mother raised me the best she could, and any single mother knows the challenge of raising a boy into a man by herself, but sometimes a boy needs that male guidance in his life, and that's what I seeked, but in the wrong places, which resulted in the gang life for me.
I began to get into all kinds of trouble, in a struggle to find my own way in the world at such a young age. I wanted to become independent at a young age, so my mother would only have to worry about my brother. That was my plan, and although I had good intentions, my choices still affected my mother, and added even more weight onto her shoulders, but she never gave up on me.
When I was fourteen, she suggested that we move back down south for a fresh start, but this time the fresh start was for me. I thought it was a good idea, so we packed up again, and headed back to Atlanta. At the time, I didn't realize the magnitude of the sacrifice she'd made for the sake of my better future. She had finally gotten established in NY, but still made the move, just for a chance of getting me on the right track.
I actually stayed out of trouble for a little while after the move, but unfortunately it was short lived. I ended up diving headfirst into the streets, getting into more trouble than I ever had in NY, and putting my mother through more pain than I ever have. Even so, she kept pushing towards her goals, despite everything that she was going through.
I don't want to go too deep into my rugged journey, because this is my mother's story, but at the same time, my decisions affected her, so to put things simply, I made her journey way harder than it had to be, but she still never gave up on me, just like she never gave up on her dreams.
And her dreams were eventually within her grasp. She purchased her first home, and started a business. Not just any business either. She started a noble business. A business that wasn't just about numbers and profit. She started a business that catered to the special needs community. She started a business that watched over individuals that weren't capable of looking after themselves, when their loved ones had to work.
The business isn't just a success because of it's financial stability. She makes those special individuals feel right at home, when in her care, and she embraces them like her own family. They light up when they see her, or one of her employees. Her business actually makes a positive difference in this wicked world we live in, and I couldn't be more proud of my mother for becoming the boss lady that she is today.
And she isn't just a boss lady because she's an entrepreneur. She's a boss lady because she made it where she is today, all by herself. Despite the extended struggle, and all the pain I've inflicted, she still managed to raise my brother correctly, who graduated high school and headed to the U.S. Airforce. She rose well above her expectations and beat the system that's built to keep Black women down.
I couldn't be prouder of her, and I'm super honored to be able to share her story on this platform. I chose to write this piece on my mother because it's important that she gets her flowers while she's still here. She's a phenomenal woman, who definitely deserves the praise, and much more!
Today, she's happily married, and is living her very best life. I thank God for it too. With both of her son's fully grown, and out of the house, she's finally getting to travel the globe and actually live her own life. After living life for her children for so long, she deserves the freedom and pleasure.
I know for a fact, that she'll go on to do so much more during her time on this earth and leave behind an impressive legacy. Luckily, I'm connected to that legacy, and I'm proud to inform you that I've finally made her truly proud through my very own legacy, by becoming a published author from these gray walls.
This is the story of an imperfectly perfect woman, written by one of her perfectly imperfect sons.
I was blessed with the privilege of writing an inspiring piece about an empowering Black woman, and the very first woman that came to mind was my beautiful mother. There are so many empowering Black women in the world today, that the list is never-ending, but why write about any of them, when I was raised witnessing the making of one?
I'm going to give you guys a good peek into her life journey. Of course, I won't cover her day-to-day life, but I'll try my best to summarize it, and paint the best picture. Hopefully this story motivates someone who needs inspiration.
See, my mom needed motivation when she was a young lady, struggling to make her own way in the world, and I guess that's where I and my brother came in. We started out in Atlanta, Georgia, where she worked mostly overnight security jobs. We moved from place to place every couple of years, but it never mattered to me or my brother at the time, because our home was with her.
When I was about nine years old, she packed our things and moved us up north, to NYC. We never questioned that move either, but I believe it was for a fresh start. I can't speak for my brother, because I'd be lying, but I know the move was tough for me and my mother. She was struggling to get established in the high-priced city, and I was old enough to notice.
We started living with family members, but it didn't work out for too long. I can clearly recall that struggle, and even though my mother probably felt drowned by the intense pressure, she never showed it to us, or took her adult problems out on us. She's such a strong woman. I literally never heard her complain about it. Instead, she always taught us how to survive, keep our heads up, and remain positive through tough situations. A good example is the quality time we spent together living in a small apartment.
It was really different for us because she always rented nice houses in Atlanta. The first apartment we lived in was really small, even for New York. That was perfect for our trio, and like I said, we spent some good times together in the midst of those unfortunate times. Those are some of the most memorable moments of my childhood because I knew we were going through a major struggle, but my mother had the ability to make it seem otherwise.
Fortunately, that particular struggle was short lived. My mother grinded hard to get us up out of there, into a really nice place, in the same area of our schools. It was a dream come true for me and my brother, because we didn't have to travel hours to school every day, and I'm sure my mother was happy to have her own comfortable space, but she still had to travel hours to work. She eventually started college classes, got her associates and went on to graduate with a Bachelor's degree. She juggled school with the rest of her obligations. She was a woman with a lot of weight on her shoulders but carried it so well. It was amazing.
This was around the time I was coming up in age. Before I knew it, I was twelve, and I began to run the streets slowly, but surely. Of course, my mother raised me the best she could, and any single mother knows the challenge of raising a boy into a man by herself, but sometimes a boy needs that male guidance in his life, and that's what I seeked, but in the wrong places, which resulted in the gang life for me.
I began to get into all kinds of trouble, in a struggle to find my own way in the world at such a young age. I wanted to become independent at a young age, so my mother would only have to worry about my brother. That was my plan, and although I had good intentions, my choices still affected my mother, and added even more weight onto her shoulders, but she never gave up on me.
When I was fourteen, she suggested that we move back down south for a fresh start, but this time the fresh start was for me. I thought it was a good idea, so we packed up again, and headed back to Atlanta. At the time, I didn't realize the magnitude of the sacrifice she'd made for the sake of my better future. She had finally gotten established in NY, but still made the move, just for a chance of getting me on the right track.
I actually stayed out of trouble for a little while after the move, but unfortunately it was short lived. I ended up diving headfirst into the streets, getting into more trouble than I ever had in NY, and putting my mother through more pain than I ever have. Even so, she kept pushing towards her goals, despite everything that she was going through.
I don't want to go too deep into my rugged journey, because this is my mother's story, but at the same time, my decisions affected her, so to put things simply, I made her journey way harder than it had to be, but she still never gave up on me, just like she never gave up on her dreams.
And her dreams were eventually within her grasp. She purchased her first home, and started a business. Not just any business either. She started a noble business. A business that wasn't just about numbers and profit. She started a business that catered to the special needs community. She started a business that watched over individuals that weren't capable of looking after themselves, when their loved ones had to work.
The business isn't just a success because of it's financial stability. She makes those special individuals feel right at home, when in her care, and she embraces them like her own family. They light up when they see her, or one of her employees. Her business actually makes a positive difference in this wicked world we live in, and I couldn't be more proud of my mother for becoming the boss lady that she is today.
And she isn't just a boss lady because she's an entrepreneur. She's a boss lady because she made it where she is today, all by herself. Despite the extended struggle, and all the pain I've inflicted, she still managed to raise my brother correctly, who graduated high school and headed to the U.S. Airforce. She rose well above her expectations and beat the system that's built to keep Black women down.
I couldn't be prouder of her, and I'm super honored to be able to share her story on this platform. I chose to write this piece on my mother because it's important that she gets her flowers while she's still here. She's a phenomenal woman, who definitely deserves the praise, and much more!
Today, she's happily married, and is living her very best life. I thank God for it too. With both of her son's fully grown, and out of the house, she's finally getting to travel the globe and actually live her own life. After living life for her children for so long, she deserves the freedom and pleasure.
I know for a fact, that she'll go on to do so much more during her time on this earth and leave behind an impressive legacy. Luckily, I'm connected to that legacy, and I'm proud to inform you that I've finally made her truly proud through my very own legacy, by becoming a published author from these gray walls.
This is the story of an imperfectly perfect woman, written by one of her perfectly imperfect sons.
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