FRUITS OF MY LABOR PART ONE

February 5, 2024 Buffalo Latino Village

Peace, EVERYONE! I was unfortunately not able to submit this article last month. But I trust you will enjoy my spotlight on this Uncrowned Queen!

On December 19th, 2023, I had the misfortune of getting into a car accident. While I’m having difficulty doing everything on my own and even remembering all the details of what happened that evening, I have been in awe of the help I’m receiving from family and friends alike.

So, I’m shining the light on one of my GREATEST accomplishments, AAliyah Mya, my daughter, and eldest child. During the couple of days, I was in the hospital after the accident she came to visit and also brought my closest friends to come see me. She also brought food and snacks because the hospital kept missing me and not providing me with food that I could eat. She delivered these with her sense of humor intact!

In the weeks after she has proven to be the best part of me. She’s been stepping in to help with her younger brother, Asheem. She’s managed to take him, to, and sometimes from, his two homeschooling co-ops, Taekwondo Classes, Guitar Rehearsals, and Hybrid Ninja Homeschool classes. The coordination of getting Asheem to and from all his activities has seemed a bit daunting but when I can’t get anyone else, she has come through in Big Ways.

For much of this time, AAliyah was also working the overnight shift so I knew she was sacrificing much-needed sleep. She even used her paid time leave to make sure that we were with our family for the holidays. While visiting them I had to go back to the hospital there and she volunteered to take me as opposed to any of my other family members. The challenges that we’ve faced as a family, especially a homeschooling family, have made my children grow into beings of their own. They are leveling up when I am feeling so down about not being able to do all I have been doing as a single parent.

As I write this, I think of all the people I know. I think of all the friends that don’t have the greatest relationships with their parents/children. I think of how fortunate I am to have raised a daughter that not ONLY I can rely on, but her little brother can rely on. As well as, witnessing her help over sixty (60) adults build their entrepreneurship skills in her former job as a program coordinator at BNMC’s IC Success Program. The friendships that she’s developed with many of them, knowing that they can still rely on her expertise. And beyond that, she launched her own business, Pup Soda, and ran it for two years. She’s not done yet! This business is a way to raise MONEY and AWARENESS for the development of an innovative Indoor Dog Complex.

I want you all to help me honor AAliyah for what she’s doing for our family and community. Sometimes we, as parents, think we’re not getting through to our children. Sometimes we feel like we do too much for them. Other times, we think we haven’t done enough. And I know that can also be our children’s thoughts as well. Sometimes they know they are falling short of our expectations and sometimes they are going above and beyond. Please give her a boost on her business pages @Pup Soda on FB, IG, and LinkedIn, and watch her Go & Grow! She earned her Spotlight in this column! I’m so blessed.