Lessons from my Mother-Mrs F.T aka "Mama Lawyer"

Mrs Florence  Tom-Lawyer nee Memuduaghan

I am grateful to God for this opportunity to share with you some lessons I learnt from my mother, As a child growing up, I confess that my secret fantasy was for the arrival of my real mother. But time has proved that those early days of discipline was necessary  for  future gain. I received  the beating of my life when I stole one naira (pound) as a child of five .I never took anything that was not mine after that! Later on, the great virtue of contentment was communicated to me as I noticed that my mum  is neither competitive nor jealous.

I learnt from my mother the need to pray to God who is the true owner of children. She   taught me the discipline of fasting as a little child by ensuring  I participated in the monthly children fasting programme in our church. She showed me respect for God by being on time for services in church. I learnt ministerial ethics from her as I watched her serve as a leader in church and on many committees. She has great respect for her pastors and is a committed member. She still attends choir practice meetings and joins the women in her church to clean as scheduled on the rota.

 I learnt caring for people by watching the ministry of my mother who has a genuine concern for people. She taught by her actions the meaning of  true friendship. Continuously, I saw her friends depend on her, when they travelled she checked up on their families and up to this day, my mum still calls some of my friends both home and abroad to enquire about their welfare. This care is also extended to members of her immediate and extended family.

 I  learnt the importance of expressing gratitude from her; once she asked my elder sisters to accompany me to thank a friend's father who gave me one naira. I just mentioned this in passing but she took it seriously.

I learnt from my mother the art of living peacefully with others. As long as I can remember, I am yet to   see my mum exchange words with anyone. She made me realize that it is okay to listen only. She once told me "if you do not have anything to say, keep quiet”.

I am still learning.

Happy Mother’s day.

Grace Tom-Lawyer