“Big Mama has three sons of her own, Christopher, Brennan, and Sam. The Reed family experienced hard times of its own after being abandoned by the boys’ father when Christopher was only one month old. “We lived in a fish market for a while,” says Sam, “so we know what it’s like to have no home.” Brennan added, “Our experience made us realize how important it is to help others in need.” All three of Big Mama’s sons help out in many ways, from directing the Boys’ Step Team and running errands to driving neighborhood kids to school each day.” [Team of Life]
Last year, I had the pleasure of honoring Big Mama with a poem during the tenth anniversary Christmas toy drive and fundraiser for her nonprofit organization, Team of Life. Their mission is to simply give back. They do this by becoming involved in the lives of youth in the community. Many have no stable homes, some have been school drop-outs, others seek for parental guidance / role models, etc… they also provide transportation when needed. They mentor and donate school supplies, clothing articles, food, toys and provide shelter for those who need it.
This year, The International Holistic Center, whose partnered with Team of Live since last year, has asked me to recite my poem once again for Big Mama, tonight! I am delighted to be part of this event once again.
Here is a photo taken from last year’s event which was printed in The Sun Sentinel Newspaper. I am the one in pink, on the bottom of the page.
And the poem as follows…
Like the might and size of an eagle
As it soars through the Heavens,
So is your heart as is spreads abundantly
To become an extension of our future.
Dismantled yet shaken you were not.
Your passion to battle misfortune and betrayal
Kept the sun shining through your overcast days.
Your brave soul and will to survive made you stronger,
And here you are: a mighty woman.
You carry the titles of
Mother, father, mentor
Activist, leader – an angel even.
You. Are. Powerful.
Because you saw the forest for the trees.
See, you possess a green thumb
In this garden of life where our children
Run wild and resources are scarce.
But you aspired to inspire our youth
Through your blood, sweat and prayers.
Only truth has transpired from your work.
Only good has been reaped
From every seed that you’ve sowed.
Only pure growth can come about
From someone who devotes as much time,
Effort and love at the drop of a dime,
Such as you.
You. Are. Love.
Because you’ve whistled past the graveyard.
Like a minstrel in the spotlight,
You are a blessing to life.
How can one conceive the immensity
That is your heart?
You’ve made yourself readily available
To kids whom others have overlooked.
You’ve tended to their necessities;
And despite being misunderstood,
You’ve shown compassion through your interaction.
Adversity was of no hindrance to the faith you gave.
Big Mama, through prayer your strength transcends.
Your community outreach rises above preaching
For you’ve centered your teachings on the quality of life –
On dreaming in grand scales and seeking truth.
You’ve introduced meaning to the existence of our youth.
Eight years ago, I would have never thought that I would be running 5Ks for fun. I’ve been physically active since I was nine, but running long distance was never part of my lifestyle. And for the past 8 years laziness had invaded my body. Needless to say, every time I would feel courageous enough to go out and run, weakness would then invade my mind.
A few months ago I thought I finally overcame my fear of running. I even wrote about here. Sadly enough, I never progressed.
However, in September, my sister registered with a co-worker for Dunn’s Race, benefiting The Boy’s and Girl’s Club in Broward. She asked me to join. I hesitated. Then I asked myself, what’s stopping me? There was no answer because I know nothing was. So I went for it. We began training with only a month before the race. In four weeks, we probably trained about 2 and a half in total.
Sunday, October 7.
The race was held in Deerfield Beach – 30 miles plus away from where we live. We got there at 6:30 am. Here we are still feeling sleepy before the race.
Since we were by the beach, i decided to take in the view, meditate a bit and get myself ready.
Ok, the sun starts coming out now. And my sister’s friend showed up with a team. It was soon time to run. The moment of truth was finally here. There was no turning back. We were super nervous as you can tell by our faces!
And we began. My sister and I stayed close to each other though she was a bit behind me. I kept looking back and making sure I wouldn’t lose her. After all, we were in this together. Maybe half a mile in and I lost her. When I saw her way in the back, she signaled for me to keep going. I hesitated because I thought I should wait for her. But I kept going.
I saw the 1 mile mark. My eyes lit up. Wow, I thought, I can’t believe I made it this far. I kept going. I was trailing Chris, her co-worker’s boyfriend. He was my marker. I wanted to make sure that he was still in close view. Either that or pass him (which by the way I tried). Then we came to the turn-around point, which meant a mile and a half. I hadn’t stopped yet. I kept going. I caught up to Chris and passed him for a few seconds, but then he gained speed. After two miles I was still going. I couldn’t believe it. I hadn’t stopped!
People of all ages were running and walking in front, behind and next to me. They kept me motivated and distracted from my mind. Then, I began cramping, but I kept going. But the pain got stronger, and I began to feel queasy. Noooo, I thought, just what I needed. So I stopped my run and decided to walk it off a bit. I only took 4 semi-walking steps and to my surprise, because of momentum, my legs began running again. But shortly after, the cramping became worse and I had to force myself to walk fast instead. All this happened after 2 miles of running. Chris was still in site. I had to keep going. So I was running on and off.
There was a bridge coming up and I decided to run nonstop since the finish line was getting close. I mustered much needed strength to go up the bridge and ran down rather easily. I was approaching the end. I just ran for it, full force, full speed, no stopping.
And I made it! My sister came in four minutes later. I wanted to cry. For eight years I feared running, I didn’t believe in myself, I didn’t feel capable of achieving this. And I did. This 5k was a marathon for me. I never felt so proud. I still can’t believe it.
After the race was over, I looked up my time; I made it in 35:07. In my age group and gender, I was 17th place. I felt awesome.
I took one last picture of the beach after the race.
They fed us Panera Bread. And there was a Firetruck parked in the lot for free painting. So I grabbed a hat and joined the fun!
I cant wait for the next race. And not because running is fun, but because it takes me out of my element. It gives me a feeling of accomplishment that I crave now. Yay for me! 🙂
As for my shoes, I am giving them up. I’ve had them since 2006 and for the past year, i don’t how many time I’ve had to crazy-glue the sides.
But I’m glad that after all these years, my pumas were able to taste victory with me!
i am 