Librería Samer Atenea
Kálamo Books
Librería Elías (Asturias)
Librería Kolima (Madrid)
Librería Proteo (Málaga)
My mother is our mentor;she is one of the most intelligentpeople we know. Mother neverallowed us to make excuses for ourfailures; she told us to learn from yourmistakes and continue to move forward.She explained when she stopped walking at the age of twenty-two, shewanted to give up, but her mother told her that sometimes life is notfair; we must play the hand we are dealt in life. Once she learned toaccept her disability, she began to strive for excellence by handling herresponsibilities as a parent. Looking at my mother from a distance, youmay see a beautiful woman in a wheelchair, someone who appears tobe naïve and limited; however she is well aware of everything aroundher. She knows when you are being sincere or when you are trying todeceive her. Mother said she always listened to her parents and heardher friends; she said of course children disobey their parents fromtime to time, but overall she followed the rules that were passed downfrom generations. Before my mother stopped walking, she was aninnocent, impressionable, and naïve Southern girl with a New Yorkstate of mind, alive and free with beauty to spare.Full of life, ready to take life by the horns, and one day sheawakened unable to walk; she was a wife and mother, and at theheight of life, her world came to a halt. After returning from alengthy coma, she wondered, how would she make this transitionto normalcy? When she came home from the hospital, she worked4A n g e l a J o n e s - W i l l i a m shard to prove that she could handle her responsibilities as a mother;she was often interrupted by social workers or caseworkers whoquestioned our well-being. The questions were demeaning, to saythe least, but Mother handled them proudly. She utilized the basicrules that governed her life as a youngster, and she understood theprinciples her mother used in the past, still applied in today’s world;if she asked questions, read, researched, and recorded, she couldmake a good life for herself. She told us, if I can be successful withmy disadvantages, anyone could, no excuses.When Mother came home from Kessler Institute, they sent herhome with a tilt table; it reached at least ten feet tall. This table washuge you had to wring it up and down; we loved rolling it up buthated rolling it back down because Mother had to sit back down inthe wheelchair. I noticed after my Mother stood up on the tilt tablefor an hour or so, she was happier and more optimistic; I think thistable allowed her creative juices to fl ow. She had enough energy forall of us; we were like minisoldiers, and she was the general. Mothermaintained her house like the military. Everything had to be put inits place. She stated if you put things back where you fi nd them, youwill be an organized person. Organized people are more successful;they handle issues without stress. Mother also cooked every day. Shebelieved nutrition was key, she stressed, and this will help you startyour day so you will pay more attention in school. She enforcedkeeping the house clean; she said your house refl ects your character.No one wants to marry a woman or a man who is not tidy. All of you5' N o E x e c u s e s ' , M y L e g a c yshould know how to cook and keep the house clean. Also she toldus if we educate ourselves, we would have better opportunities in lifethan most people; she stated take a look at people who work hard,they have better outcomes. Do you think success will fall from thesky? She told us that each of you will make different choices in life,and later see the results of them. She said the unfortunate thing aboutlife and perhaps the most frustrating is when your children listen totheir friends rather than their parents. She continued by saying thatsociety has conditioned children to be disrespectful to their parentsand make them the enemy. She said education would bridge the gapand help you underst
