The Woman Who Carried Me So I Could Carry Him: Honoring My Mother in The Faces of Transparency
Some women hold the weight of generations. My mother is one of them. Without her, there would be no me. And there would be no Faces of Transparency.
Insights for Empowerment
When people ask me how I survived becoming a mother at 17, how I went on to finish high school, pursue college, earn a master’s degree, and write The Faces of Transparency…the real answer begins with one person: my mother.
My mother has always been my quiet strength, my shelter, my voice of reason when storms threatened to drown me. When I became pregnant as a teenager, I was terrified. My world felt like it was ending before it had barely begun. But my mother never let me believe that.
Instead, she stood beside me. She held me up when I didn’t think I could stand. She helped me navigate motherhood while I was still growing up myself. There were days when the weight of shame and uncertainty felt too heavy, but she carried some of that weight for me.
Because of her, I stayed in school.
Because of her, I believed I was more than my mistakes.
Because of her, I kept dreaming, even when life seemed determined to keep me small.
My mother never chased attention or applause. She sacrificed in silence so I could keep going. She poured into me the belief that my story mattered, even when I didn’t think it did.
When I look at the photo of my son holding my book, I know it’s a miracle moment. But there’s another photo that means just as much to me…the one of my mother holding The Faces of Transparency.
Because she’s in every page.
My mother carried me so I could carry him.
The Faces of Transparency was born not just from my pain and triumphs, but from her faith, her sacrifices, and her love that never wavered, even in my hardest seasons.
This is my tribute to her. For being the face behind my courage. For teaching me that transparency isn’t weakness but power. For reminding me that women can bend without breaking.
She is my rock. And without her, I would not be the woman, mother, or author I am today.
Encouraging Nuggets
Strength often comes in quiet, unseen ways.
None of us walks our journey alone…someone carried us so we could keep going.
Honor those who stood in the shadows so your light could shine.