Black Women Have It Going On

Good morning from Colorado, where the peaks are tall and the tomb is empty! Today is Thursday, April 30th, and my faith is secured in Christ Jesus! Thanks for stopping by my blog as we close out a month of life, faith, and the long walk toward healing.

We are closing out my mother’s birthday month with a final “ten-ton brick”: You are the author of the legacy, not just the witness of the struggle. For weeks, we’ve looked at the 16-hour sacrifice and the blurry years. I’ve looked at my mother’s obituary and felt the sting of how “boring” her life appeared on paper. But as I write my genealogical book, I am realizing that her life was a masterpiece in progress.

As I took care of her as an elderly, fragile woman, I was blessed with a weird and wonderful thing: I was able to see her in all the stages of her life. She wasn’t a random woman from off the streets I was given charge of; she was my mom. Because of that Hercules strength God gave me, I was able to love her without reservations, never bringing up our past but once. God took that one moment and used it as a tool to grow my understanding of forgiveness.

My mother gave me life, and as I’ve coined this phrase: That is more than enough. Her growth came late for me, but it became the “seed” for my wisdom today. I am no longer just the child who slept through the afternoon to escape; I am the historian who gladly celebrates her entire life. The tomb of April is empty, and the story we are writing together is a resurrection masterpiece that will outlive any obituary.

The Takeaway for Us

• The Gift of the Full Circle: One realizes that caretaking for a parent is a divine opportunity to see them in “all their stages.” This perspective allows for a love that requires no reservations and a forgiveness that doesn’t need to dwell on the past.
• The Tool of One Moment: God often uses a single, honest conversation about the past to anchor a lifetime of understanding. Once that moment is handled with grace, the “waterpot” of resentment can be left behind forever.
• Celebrating the Whole: A family historian learns to celebrate the entire life—the stumbles, the 16-hour shifts, and the fragile final years. It is the realization that every stage was necessary to create the person you are today.

Community Challenge

Have you ever had a “weird and wonderful” moment of seeing a parent’s vulnerability that changed how you viewed your childhood? How does seeing the “full circle” of someone’s life help you love them without reservations today?

Scripture & Prayer

• Scripture: “Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” — Exodus 20:12 (KJV) (The blessing of the full circle).
• Prayer: Father, we thank You for the privilege of seeing the full circle of life. We ask for healing for the children who are caretaking for their parents, that they would find the “Hercules strength” to love without reservations. Thank You for the one moment that brings total understanding and for the grace to celebrate the entire journey. Amen.

The Spiritual Seal

Remember: You are not defined by the years the locusts have eaten, but by the new thing God is doing in your life today. The tomb is empty, and your story is rising. See you in May!