Sister Wives

No, I am not a polygamist nor do I support the concept of a plural marriage, at least not for myself.  However, I can understand the camaraderie of the wives in the TLC show, Sister Wives, because I agree with the quote that comes from an old African proverb that it takes a village to raise a child.  I only watched a couple of episodes of Sister Wives because soon after it debuted, I cancelled my cable, but I am fascinated by and support the idea of sharing mothering duties with other woman, and these 'wives' have created their own village.  It is a great concept because, in addition to having a great mom, I was also "raised" by many surrogate mothers including Fi-fie, Janie M., Gayle, Betty, Susan, Linda and many others.  Also, I have many mother/friends who help me raise my daughter because, as a single mom, I know it would be very difficult on my own.  Someone once told me that my family is like a small tribe, and I extend the definition of family to include the many strong mothers with whom I surround myself and Nicole.

Without my 'sister wives', I would not feel like I could even dream of taking on the goals I have assembled for myself for next year.  I know that I can and will call on these women to help me with Nicole in a moment's notice, without need of explanation, if I have to work, squeeze in a work out, or just need take a break. 

A couple of years ago, I drew a tree to make a point to a therapist I was seeing to get through a rough patch.  The trunk of the tree was me and the roots had the names of many of the people that I consider as part of my tribe, my family.  It is an interesting coincidence that my new friend, Anita, sent me this video of Tyler Perry as Madea describing different types of people who come into our lives.  "Some people come into our life for a lifetime and some for a season. . . you gotta know which.  And you gonna always mess up when you mix the season people up with lifetime expectations," said Madea.  I love how she describes different people as either leaves, branches or roots and I recognize my 'roots' and I am so thankful that they help keep me grounded, supported and keep me standing tall.

Thanks to all my 'sister wives' and roots, I am grateful for all of you!