Today people often say “Rise and Grind” or “Get ready.” I never use those two phrases. In my world, you do not rise and grind, you grind from where you are and don’t stop. I don’t believe the proper course of action is to get ready for battle. To the contrary, I believe you stay ready. The “Mother to Son” poem taught me that sometimes things are rough, but you suck it up, put on your big girl panties and keep climbing. There is no reason to stop climbing until you reach the goal you have set.
Recently I heard a song with lyrics
When times get hard I go harder . . .
My mama ain’t raise no sucker
I ain’t scared of no struggle,
The song is about working out, but I saw a tribute to Langston Hughes’ “Crystal Stair.” In my mind, it is a mother’s job to teach her children to keep moving, keep climbing no matter how hard things get. She should teach this with her words and with her actions. I have always tried to do that with my children. I definitely did not raise them to be suckers and none of them are afraid of struggle. I am still climbing and will never stop. As a church girl, we are taught that if you raise a child properly, the lessons of their youth will stay with them always. I teach my children to work smart and work hard so they will do that all their lives.
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Life is hard sometimes and there is sometimes struggle that takes place. So the question for you this serene day is what words are you using to inspire you to continue on no matter how hard the journey?
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Really enjoyed reading this post, these are powerful words and a great poem.
Your poem is very choiceful and apt for right now. Life is tough with what’s happening at the moment but it will go on.
That is such a beautiful poem! Such a powerful message to just keep going despite bumps in the road that is life.
What a powerful and inspirational poem! I want to read some of his other works now.
Beautiful words. And so powerful! Thanks for remembering us about it!
These are great words for sure! I love this poem and it is definitely inspirational. A good one to share with friends and family.
That’s a great poem. My husband loves reading poems. He even created a poem for me. Will tell him about this author.
I really enjoyed reading this post. These are such powerful words, and a great poem.
That poem is so powerful! I love reading too, I’ll have to add him to my list.
I remember this poem from my son’s American Literature class. Those are some powerful words.
I had never heard of him before but it sounds like an interesting read and something that would interest me.
Sounds like some very interesting reading. I am looking for some good summer reading so i will keep this author in mind.