Have you ever wondered why we use the term “godmother?” And what exactly does the role entail? Has someone ever pulled a godparent aside and said, “Ok as a godparent, this is what the role demands from you?” If they did that for you, that’s great. I just never hear anyone doing it. Instead, there seems to be an assumption that when a close friend is appointed as a child’s godparent, they know what to do.
Well, it’s Women’s History Month and I was thinking about an exemplary woman. I was thinking about someone who I would like to be my godmother. You want to be around her because she is loving, fun, mature, exemplary, and she can provide spiritual guidance when needed. She is not immune from mistakes, rather she has learned from them. And she is eager to pass on her lessons learned to the younger generation. Additionally, she has built trust and comfort with her goddaughter, so much so that her goddaughter feels safe coming to her at all times, especially when she has problems.
This person who I’m talking about is Aunty Agi. She is a character from my new book, Not Far From the Truth, which you can find on Amazon and Ingram Spark.
She is a fiction of my imagination inspired by the idea of an African Proverbs 31 woman. In the story “Lessons from Nana’s Godmother,” Nana says,
“One of my favorite things about Aunty Agi is that she tells me like it is, but she doesn’t really tell me what to do.”
“… she is the only one who actually took the time to speak to me like an adult. It didn’t matter how old I was. She would tell me, ‘I wish someone had told me these things before I went to high school. I wouldn’t have made all the stupid mistakes I made.’”
The story describes a visit between Nana and her mom’s best friend, Aunty Agi, whom she considers her godmother. The reader has a front and center view of an interaction between a mentor and a mentee. If you want some tips on how to be a godparent, or if you want to be inspired by a woman of noble character, or if you just want to reminisce with a heart-warming story, get your copy of Not Far From the Truth from either link below.
