What is the Source of Your Mother’s (s’) Powers?

Everyone has a story to tell. Almost everyone has a story to tell about his/her mother. Setaweet offered me the privilege of speaking at their next open session. The topic of the talk is yet to be fixed. My interest, I suggested, is on the roles and powers of women I am trying to explore in my works. “Catch Your Thunder,” for example, is a story about the rise of women leaders the like of Hendeke, Sheba, and Nyabinghi. My perspective on women (or feminism) is as much shaped by my mother and grandmother as is by my religion. I am trying to find a wider cultural foundation for the former influences. My mother was loved and respected by many. She was friends to all irrespective of religion or social standing, even to beggars and street scare-figures. I imagine her influence is equal to the degree of love she won over hearts. And she was not a declared philanthropist or political activist. She was just a mother. Even at home her powers were exercised in her motherly ways. Do I see her qualities in the current women leaders that are considered role models? Rarely. These days, models of women to which many of us have difficulty to associate to are being imported. I wonder if we do not need a different model of women than what the popular media is trying to force on us. That gave me a riddle I am trying to unravel for a long time now: what is a powerful woman made of? How should these powers be exercised for the benefit of all? My stories are replete with tales of women that I think are powerful. You sure have your own models of strength and different stories to tell. It would be great if you could share that with us so that we may see if we could forge an alternative model(s) of a powerful woman. Shall we begin with this: where does the power of your mother come from? Based on that, what qualities would you like to see in our women leaders?