In Search of MY Mother's Garden

Harriet "Hattie" Lewis
July 11, 1911 - September 9, 1952

For these grandmothers and mothers of ours were not "Saints," but Artists; driven to a numb and bleeding madness by the springs of creativity in them for which there was no release....But this is not the end of the story, for all the young women--our mothers and grandmothers, ourselves--have not perished in the wilderness. And if we ask ourselves why, and search for and find the answer, we will know beyond all efforts to erase it from our minds, just exactly who, and of what, we Black American women are. Source: Alice Walker, In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens

I never knew her, although she held me in her arms soon after I was born. I wonder what she thought as she looked upon my face. Did she pray for me to have a blessed life? Did she envision for me a  life better for me than her own? Did she wonder about what she might have done to make my growing better during the formative years of my own mother.

I wonder...

I have heard many stories of this woman - Mother - my Grandmother. Some that make me smile. Some that make me cry. Still others that make me laugh almost to tears. Oh, how I wish I had had a chance to get to know her. Learn from her. To learn and even understand the answers to my "whys".

Why did you...

Yet, even the stories tell me something about her will. Her spirit. She loved life and enjoyed the fads of her time. A self-described "flapper" during her teen years, she changed your name out of a sense of empowerment to redefine herself as opposed to being defined by the stereotypes of the time. But, did she know that her name still meant "Ruler of the House"? I suspect she did. Then, she willingly shared her voice on Sunday's and as a member of a church quartet. And she passed on way too young.

I know little about her...

But, I know that I am HER namesake and that tells me much about My Mother, Her Daughter. And it brings me solice and joy as I continue my search of My Mother's Garden.

Rest in Peace, Harriet. Rest in Peace.


P.S. After reading this post, My Mother told me that My Grandmother when holding, me just two days before she passed away, beamed with joy. She also said that My Grandmother stopped traffic to get her laboring daughter - My Mother - to the hospital to deliver me. Now that, my friends, sounds exactly like something that I would do!

For All Intents & Purposes, So Glad You Stopped By!

HeB

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HeB is the owner of For All Intents & Purposes. As a SwAAW (Strong-willed African-American Woman), HeB reserves the right to speak her mind, voice her opinion, and just tell it like it is. A Baby-boomer - whose voice was shaped by the Last Poets, the Funkadelics, Malcolm, Martin, incense, and black-lights - HeB's voice is not dictated by her employer, professional,social, philanthropic, academic, educational or service or organization of which she is a member or affiliated.

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