Before I say Happy Mother’s Day to every mother, I want to take a moment to celebrate my mom.
My mother is a phenomenal woman; ambitious, self-driven, constantly evolving and incredibly resilient. She is, in every sense, an example of what a mother should be.
And today, I want to share a story about her.
A story about the day I learned to truly respect her.
Growing Up on the Farm
When I was younger, my parents owned a poultry farm, still do. It was a large operation with thousands of birds, which meant something else in abundance too:
Chicken droppings.
One day, farmers from the surrounding area came to complain. When we washed the poultry waste into the nearby land, the fertiliser concentration was so strong it was damaging their crops instead of helping them grow.
My parents immediately began working on a long-term solution.
But in the meantime, there was a temporary problem to solve.
The drainage pits where the waste collected had to be cleared manually.
Yes, manually.
The Uncomfortable Assignment
So that day, my parents gathered everyone working on the farm.
They brought out protective coveralls, full suits meant to protect whoever would go down into the pit and push the droppings toward the edge so they could be packed and removed.
I had followed my mom to the farm that day.
At that point in my life, I had been living what you might call a princess life. Life was very comfortable.
Then my mom said something that changed everything.
“We’ll start with the first person.”
And that first person…
was (Ayodele) me😢😭.
I remember putting on the protective suit.
I remember climbing down into the pit.
And then, almost immediately, something happened.
A fresh drop of chicken droppings fell from above…
straight onto my head.
It splashed.
Even though I was wearing a coverall, I could feel the heat of it through the fabric.
It was messy.
It was uncomfortable.
It was humbling.
And strangely…
It was also beautiful.
The Lesson My Mother Taught Me
Something shifted inside me that day.
Standing there, surrounded by the most uncomfortable situation I had ever experienced, I realised something powerful:
There would never be a situation in life too uncomfortable for me to face.
There would never be a challenge too messy for me to handle.
There would never be a corner of life I could find myself in that I couldn’t fight my way out of.
Because once you have stood in the middle of something that uncomfortable and survived it, the world suddenly feels a lot less intimidating.
My mother didn’t protect me from difficulty.
She introduced me to it early.
And that shaped the woman I became.
Thank You, Mom
Today I want to say Happy Mother’s Day to that phenomenal woman.
She could have chosen anyone else that day.
But she chose me.
And I’m grateful that she did.
Because that moment, standing in a pit of chicken droppings became one of the many moments that shaped my strength.
Now, To YOU & ME
Happy Mother’s Day to Every Kind of Mother
Today I also want to celebrate all mothers.
Not just the women who gave birth to children.
But every woman who has stepped into the role of a mother.
Happy Mother’s Day to:
• Women raising children that weren’t born from their bodies
• Women who stepped in where someone else stepped out
• Women who are both mother and father to their children
• Women who became mothers before they felt ready
• Women who conceived a child but lost the pregnancy
If you carried a child, even for a moment, you are a mother.
And if your story is different from any of the ones I mentioned, and today you feel unseen, this is also for you.
Happy Mother’s Day.
I see you.
I see the sacrifices.
I see the sleepless nights.
I see the intentional love you pour into the lives around you.
Even if no one celebrates you today, I hope you take a moment to celebrate yourself.
Because you are doing an incredible job.
You are a phenomenal woman.
Your children respect you.
The world respects you.
And today, I celebrate you.
Happy Mother’s Day.
With Love,
An Intentional Mum (Ayo❤)
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