Mama’s Legacy

One bright Sunday morning on the beautiful island of Jamaica, when I was about ten, my mama was busy in the kitchen, humming her favorite song as I helped her. When the food was ready, she arranged the dining table in typical English fashion, adding a beautiful cloth napkin—a setting fit for a king. I was a bit confused. Were we having company for breakfast? If so, I hoped it was one of my aunts because I knew my cousins would also be coming.

When everything was ready, she went outside, and I followed, wondering where she was going. Some ladies who lived nearby also wondered and asked, “Miss Rema, where are you going?” She just smiled and said she would be back soon. I tagged along behind her. Mama went up and down the street, searching for someone. Eventually, she came upon a dirty, ragged homeless man. We children were afraid of him, though he never seemed to notice us. He was lost in his own world. Mama bent down and said something to him.

When she was done, he got up, straightened himself up, and proceeded to follow her. I stared in shock! Where was Mama taking this dirty homeless man? Straight to our home! The neighbors scattered in fright as she took him inside, sat him down at the dining table, and waited on him. She served him roasted breadfruit, ackee, and codfish.

She poured him a cup of hot Milo tea and gave him a bowl of fresh fruit. He ate his breakfast and asked for seconds. When he was finished, he sat still for a few minutes, then quietly stood up and left. Mama hummed her song while she cleared the table and washed the dishes. A few of the ladies at the door asked, “Miss Rema, you’re keeping the dishes that the homeless man just used?” With her radiant smile, she answered, “And why not? He is God’s child, isn’t he?” Then she came out and sat in her chair on the veranda as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Mama’s legacy lives on in the lives of her children as we fulfill the Lord’s commission, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40, KJV). My friends, may we all share the love of Jesus with others as we wait for His return! Happy Mother’s Day!

Jannett Maurine Myrie