By Barbara Ellington, Flair Co-ordinator
Grace Stephens after her royal treatment. - Dennis Coke
Back in April we asked readers to
celebrate the most wonderful woman in your lives by crowning her Queen For a Day. We asked you to tell us, in 200 words or less, why your mother deserved the royal treatment -- spa, hairstyle, makeup, manicure/pedicure, new outfit, lunch or dinner at a fine restaurant,
flowers, gift baskets, the works.
The tributes came pouring in. They spoke eloquently to the sacrifices of mothers.
The youngest writer was a nine-year-old boy. His essay, and all the others were heart-warming. In that sense, all the mothers nominated were winners. However, Patricia Prince's essay
especially tugged at our hearts to win the title for her mother Grace Stephens.
THE ESSAY
With the burden of a two-year-old child, no moral or financial support and having to juggle two jobs to support your child and yourself, would you take on the troubles of someone else's unloved child?
Well my mother did. Adopted mother, if you want to get technical.
Her name is Grace Stephens, she moved next door while I was living with stepmother number three. She listened to all my troubles and helped to solve most of my problems. She taught me to smile through my tears and when my tears overcame my smiles, her shoulder was the rock I leaned on.
For the 12 years I've known her, I no longer think of killing myself. She didn't take me into her house, but she took me into the most important place, her heart. It's a warm, comfy place. Her guidance and determination for me to succeed took me through high school and into a job I still hold.
The criticisms I got from my three stepmothers are now non-existent in the world that Grace has helped me create for myself.
She has been my queen for 12 years now and I think she deserves to be crowned Flair's Queen for A Day.
Patricia Prince
Kingston
LOOKING BACK, 24-year-old Patricia Prince would readily admit that it was God who sent Grace Stephens to rent the half side of a house from her father when she was 12 years old. At the time, Patricia was badly in need of a mother's unconditional love and as time went by, that's what Grace Stephens provided.
"I admire her, she has never judged me for my mistakes, never said anything to keep me down and always encouraged me to keep going," Ms. Prince said while sharing Mother's Day brunch with Ms. Stephens at the Le Meridien Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston, last Sunday.
It was easy for the judges to select Patricia's touching testimony about her mother and she was very surprised to learn that she had won because Patricia and not told her she was entering the contest.
Ms. Prince can only recall living with her birth mother for eight months when she was 10. With 13 children, she said her mother just couldn't cope so she sent Patricia to live with her father who thought she needed more attention. She went to live with him in Westmoreland at age two and so began the trail of stepmothers.
"I was never happy, I did not know where I was going and at times I even thought of suicide as a way to end my misery. Then one day Grace came."
For her part, Ms. Stephens said she noticed the bad treatment meted out to Ms. Prince by the stepmothers and "I just took her as my own daughter. I stood up for her, comforted her when she cried. I'd buy her birthday gifts and whatever I bought for my son. I'd also buy for her and in return she baby-sat my son when I was out," she told Flair.
She felt badly, she added, that the stepmothers would treat their own children better, even going as far as discouraging her father from giving her money for extra lessons on Saturdays. On the other hand, Ms. Prince had to go to the market on Saturdays and do all the dirty work around the house, she noted.
"When I saw that her father was taking the stepmother's side against Patricia, I always had to remind him to be her father and friend," said Ms. Stephens, adding that Ms. Prince is the daughter she did not give birth to.
With her new mother's help and encouragement, Ms. Prince passed eight Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) subjects, giving the lie to the prediction that, "you soon breed." She is now an assistant accountant with the National Water Commission.
Ms. Prince said her experience with Grace has had a positive impact on her life. When the time comes, she may not necessarily have biological children, she added, because she wants to adopt an unwanted child to show him/her that strangers can love them as much as a real mother.
"If I were in the same position as Grace, I'd never step back from being nice to a child, what you learn as a child grows up with you."
For the last five years, Ms. Stephens has been employed as a messenger at the office of attorney Frank Phipps and enjoys the job of taking papers and documents between law offices, to the courts as well as going to the post office.
Ms. Prince who took her adopted mother to Priscilla's night club in Kingston last Sunday night said she planned to care for her as long as she lives.
CONTEST SPONSORS
Flair thanks the following sponsors who helped our "Queen For A Day" promotion a success. Jencare Skin Farm for oxygenation, massage, manicure/pedicure and facial; Evergrow Garden Centre for a dish garden, D'Choix Boutique for a beautiful silk outfit, Le Meridien Jamaica Pegasus Hotel for brunch for two and entertainment package and Lascelles Wines and Spirits for gift baskets for Grace Stephens, Verlyn Baines, Nurline Thompson, Ethel Riley-Wray, Winsome Oakley and Phylene Wilson.
