This Mother’s Day, let’s celebrate the women who shape our lives with unwavering love, strength, and endless support. Join us for a deeply personal and inspiring conversation with Kimberly Anderson. She shares her remarkable story of honoring her mother, a trailblazer who defied societal expectations at 15 and built a strong, loving family. Through laughter and tears, Kim reflects on their unique bond, the challenges they faced, and the profound impact her mother had on her life, parenting style, and the values she cherishes today. Discover how Kim continues her mother’s legacy and gain insights into coping with grief and celebrating the enduring power of love and family. This episode is a heartfelt tribute to mothers everywhere, a testament to resilience, and a reminder of the irreplaceable influence mothers have on our lives. I am sharing my experience of loving the same man for 32 years, a mother to two adult children, a retired military officer, a breast cancer survivor, and my connections with others. Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts should reach out to a suicide hotline or local emergency number in their country: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/suicide/suicide-prevention-hotlines-resources-worldwide — Watch the episode here   Listen to the podcast here   Honoring My Mom, The Black Panther: A Trailblazer’s Legacy With Kimberly Anderson My guest on this episode is Ms. Kim Anderson. Kim and I intentionally selected her podcast to air during Mother’s Day, because we both know that it can be so difficult when your parent is not here. In honoring our mothers, Kim wanted to share about who her mother is and how she has become the woman she is because of her mom. I encourage you, as you read this, to remember and be encouraged by the memories that you have from your mom, that you celebrate her with your life, and know that we are on this journey with you. Let’s get into this conversation now.  — Hello, Widowhood. My guest is my good friend, Kim Anderson. I am just so grateful for her to be here for this episode. We are honoring her mother, and the episode that you’re receiving this will be right around Mother’s Day. Welcome Kim Anderson to the Widowhood.  Hello, thank you for inviting me. Look forward to this conversation.  Thank you. This conversation is about Kim being a daughter, Kim’s mother, and then we may get into some of Kim’s journey as far as being a mom, but being in this Mother’s Day week that we’re planning to do this, can be super hard when your mother is not here. Before we get into that part, tell us about your mom.  My Trailblazing Mom Oh my gosh, I tell you, my mom was a trailblazer. She was a young teenager when she had me. She was 15 years old. Back then, that was just like, “Are you kidding? How old is this gentleman that you’ve been seeing that we didn’t know about?” My dad was seven years older than her. It was one of those where they were forced to get married or my dad was going to jail.  You said seven years?  Seven years older than my mom. It was literally a shotgun wedding.  My gosh. You hear about stuff like that and did you grow up hearing this story?  Yes. My uncle told me this story numerous times. I’d laugh at that because they ended up being the best of friends, even though as the years went by. I have siblings, I’m the oldest of four, and things ended up not working out for them being married, but they ended up being the best of friends.  You were saying, first I thought you were talking about your uncle being friends with your dad, you’re talking about your parents.  My parents, yes.  They were good friends, but not good partners as far as marriage.  No, they were not, no.  Do you recall how old you were when your parents separated?  Yes, I was seven years old. Wow, you can remember seven, girl? I cannot remember seven.  You know what? I think I remember it because everyone would tell me that story. Everyone would say that. Even though my mom was single, she raised us as a single mom, we still saw our dad every weekend.  I’m just going to put on the black card because there is this concept that all black men are out there and are not showing up and doing what they need to do. That idea and I’m so glad to be able to share it. Okay, the marriage didn’t work, but your dad’s responsibility as far as being a father and being responsible for this family that he put on this earth was vital to him.  That was important but for my dad to have us on the weekend, it was always at his mom’s house because that’s where he lived. It was a dual responsibility. It wasn’t just on my dad. I think that helped him become a better dad because if he had to do that on his own, I don’t believe my dad could have done it. It was too much of a responsibility for him.  Okay and back in that day, literally women were being trained to be mothers and sons were not where the dynamic is a little different in the year that we’re in now where the roles are shared on a different plane than what I think they were before. Going back to seven, what are some of the memories of your mom?  My gosh, every day was something new. It was a light. She would always, even though she worked, she knew she had to work and she wanted to go back to school because I was the oldest of the four, I helped out with the kids. I was the second mom to my siblings. We could enable her to go back to school. It was just taking us to the park, putting affirmations on the back of