I had some great role models, and whatever I went through, negative or positive, has made me who I am today. I see myself as someone who stood on the shoulders of some powerful women, and I see a little bit of all of them in me. My birth mother was one of the first women in my life. She was a beacon of light, strong in her faith, funny, hardworking, loved to dance, and lived life to the fullest. If I had been given the opportunity to write her tribute, I would have written that she had no regrets. She fought hard for her family and lived life to the fullest. She taught me how to be resilient and to have fun, and O’ boy, don’t I enjoy life. Thanks Mum! My grandmother took up the role of mom when our mother died. She took care of my sister until she was old enough to join us in Accra. It was a pleasure to spend time with her in Kumasi during the holidays. She's the best. My stepmother taught me about cleanliness and how tomanage a home. She really loved cleanliness somuch that we even washed the leaves of the artificial flowers during the holidays. Thanks, Mum, and God bless! My mother-in-law took me under her wings. When I started dating my husband, we were both very young. Immediately after she found out my biological mother had passed on to eternity, I became one of hers. If there was a funeral in the house and they were getting a family cloth, she made sure I had the cloth and would even have it sewn for me. People wondered whether I was her stepdaughter. Akpe Ma! Another mother figure in my life is Mrs. Twum-Boafo. She is the mother of my childhood best friend, Cynthia. Auntie adopted me as her own child. Thank you, Auntie. I am a bit like all these mothers. I am a mum, I am a wife, and I am a Christian who yearns to grow deeper in her faith and in the service of God. I am an African woman, born and bred. I aman educator. I ama sibling. I ama friend. I am there whenever my family and friends need me. I anticipate their needs and endeavor to help. I love shoes, I love to shop, I love to entertain, I love to serve and see people happy. In a way, I AMEVERYWOMAN! A mishmash of sounds. It's beautiful, crisp, clear, loud, fast, and thunderous. Slow, soft, disorienting. I am a blend of many tunes, a mix of women, old and young. EVERY OMAN I AM 43
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