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Our Captain
‘The kids are not well cared for, they starve and lack proper Medicare’
You see, if Dad had been alive but let it be. The nine of us were taken to a welfare home where we spent only two days and by the third day, we all ran away and found our way home to be with our precious Mother. I was 14yrs anyway and the youngest siblings Phil and Benjamin were 7. Lucas, Richard and Robert were the first triplets and they were 12yrs then Moses, Joshua and Albert the second triplet of the family were 10yrs. That is the nine of us.
‘We made it clear that we would rather die starving than be apart, we don’t want to be adopted, we prefer staying with our Mother’. They understood that we meant it and eventually backed off. Tell me who owns a kid; State or the Mother? It wasn’t easy growing up but at 14yrs, I was already a father to my younger ones, I worked full time at the auto shop so to support Mom who worked at a grocery store as a cashier. Mom was strict and always impose a punishment on any disobedience so Phil and Benjamin the hardcore understood discipline the very same way I and the rest did.
There were days we had no food but Mom always made sure that there is always milk and bread which we all eat once then on a good day, three square male. You see, I had always wanted to be like Dad, he was a Marine and that inspired me so much and by the time I turned 18,I enlisted in the military, my siblings were all doing great with their school works and Mom gave her soul to see that they go to school and thanks to Mr, Kent my former Boss who gave me a thousand dollars when I left for training; that money helped my family a great deal.
It was all for this great woman who stood and faced her problem and fears with determination, keeping her promise to Dad to make sure that the family stick together, he died of cancer and his case took everyone by surprise because he was diagnosed very late. Mom never remarried but even if she intended to, who will marry her with nine sons? Anyway, she stood and overcame it and she did it alone, those aunts and uncles were never there.
First Lieutenant Edwin Jones; that is me and I served in Afghanistan with five of my siblings Captain(s) Lucas, Richard, Robert and Staff Sergent(s) Phil and Benjamin. You see, my other siblings are all military doctors, thanks to our Mother’s hard work, relentless, patience, might, will, courage and wisdom. She was our everything, role model, aspirator, name it; we lived from hand to mouth but amidst all those suffering, she never for once felt weak rather she stood to her responsibilities. Her 74th birthday last month was a military carnival and our friends tagged it 'for the unit 9'.
I was walking with my three years old son Mark few days ago then from no where he asked me a question i have always asked myself
-Dad where did your strength come from?
I pulsed for a while because as a believer, i know what my Bible say
"My strength comes from God, the maker of Heave and Earth". Yes it is true but i understood what this kid asked and i knew that he needed the right answer, the truth so i said
-My strength came from our captain who trained my unit of nine soldiers for battle, she was a sister,father,mother,mentor and everything to us.
He smiled then asked me this...
-Who is she?
-Who do think it is Mark? Mary the Mother of Christ?
-No
-Mother Therese?
-No
-Hillary Clinton?
-No
-Then who is she Mark?
- Grandma, he shouted.
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"Is there anything greater than a Mother or a Mother's love? A mother gives strength to her children and her love alone can strengthen any weak bone"
