Stories of Kindness from Around the World

 

I consider myself one of the luckiest people I know. I lost my biological mother when I was 9 years old and when she was alive she was not much of a mother to me. But through it all, God has always blessed me with women that have always taken on her roll without question. I met my current step mom for the first time when I moved to America and was reunited with my father. From the beginning, she made sure to let me know that I was safe and welcome in her life.  I remember when I first saw her at the airport. It was different, but not uncomfortable. Over the past years there is nothing I needed that she did not provide. I’ am the young woman I am today because she made sure to raise me properly. Yesterday I went to see her for mother’s Day. When I gave her gifts, she held my face in both of her hands and kissed me straight on the mouth even though I had the flu. (Hopefully she is not sick by the time you guys read this story)

 

Her simple act of affection took me back to my very first night in America. After I was picked up from the airport we went home and she unpacked my luggage and took me shopping for new clothes since the ones I had brought with me from Africa were a bit worn. That night before I went to bed  , she came to my room, which was the first room I had ever had on my own, let alone my very own bed. She told me she was glad to have me and that she would take good care of me. Because I was never shown affection as a child, I did not know how to react to what she said so I just stared at her.  To this day, I have a hard time letting others be affectionate towards me. That night before she walked out of my new room, she asked me for a hug. I kid you not; I had no clue what she was talking about. I did not know what the word hug meant. Not because I didn’t speak English, I had just never heard the word before let alone knew what it was so I just looked at her once again with a questioning look on my face. But she didn’t give up. She called my father into the room and told him that she wanted me to give her a hug and asked him to explain to me what she meant. My dad explained to me what a hug was and told me why people hugged in America. When he did I looked at my new step mom and wondered why she wanted to hug me. She then told me it was because she loved me and you hug people when you love them. So she opened her arms wide and timidly I opened mine and we hugged. That was my very first hug and I was 11 years old at that time.

 

I’m 23 years old now and I have received many hugs over the past years. I consider her my birth mother because life began when I came to stay with her. For the first time, there were no kids for me to take care of, I became a child. There was no house work waiting for me everyday other than the occasional chores that she gave me to teach me responsibility. Today I say to my mother, Mrs. Sherrrell Kivumbi, thank you. Thank you for giving me my childhood back, when everybody took it from me. I’ am who I’m today because of your love, and affection.