I honor of black history month I want to start by giving you a little of my foundation. The origin of my strength, love and faith in God.
The woman in the picture (above) is Albertha Wheeler Mccoy, born February 1, 1904. She was born and raised on the Creek Indian reservation in Early County Georgia. Her mother a full blooded indian, her father a black man, Albertha and her siblings bore the resemblance of both parents ( soft long hair, smooth deep brown skin and piercing blueish gray eyes). Albertha married John Mccoy at a early age and started a family. The Mccoy clan grew to 11 children. From those children came grand children, great grand children and so on. I am blessed to say that I AM THE GREAT GRAND DAUGHTER OF ALBERTHA WHEELER MCCOY, affectionately know as Mabert.
People who grew up around Mabert often talked about her strength and wisdom. They spoke of the love she had for others and God. I remember her telling me how she walked miles on Sunday to get kids for Sunday School, then walk them all back to the church to have Sunday school and after church she would walk them all back home. People have spoke of how she always feed, clothed and housed people in need. She would proudly say, “I HAD 11 HEAD OF CHILLEN” but, her truth was she was the mother to many many more.
Some of my fondest childhood memories were of Mabert and some of the greatest knowledge I have came from her. I remember sitting in the house watching The Young & Restless with her while the other kids played outside. I remember how she would nod off and I would say Mabert you sleep but she would wake up and tell me everything that happened. When I prepared to leave home for college, she told me. “you go up there and get that education them folks got for you cause this bunch need it.” I said yes ma’am, and when I got ready to walk out she said, “you too smart and pretty to be a fool.” Over the years and especially now that statement sticks with me. I don’t think about puddy(pretty) in terms of the physical aspect but just as a person period. Many times when you are a good person people try to use and mistreat you, this is something that Mabert knew all too well.
Our most memorable conversation came right be for she passed away when she found out that i was pregnant. We had talked for a while and I had decided to wait and tell her later when all of a sudden she said, “OH YEAH, I KNOW YOU DUN RAN UP AND DOWN DIS HERE ROAD AND GOT BIG(pregnant).” In shock my only response was huh……. she continued, “YEAH, I KNOWED IT WAS GON HAPPEN BUT I WANT YOU TO REMEMBER TO BARE DOWN AND HAVE DAT BABY WHEN IT IS TIME CAUSE I AINT GON BE HERE.” It wasn’t until her death that I knew what she meant by she wasn’t going to be here.
She was so strong, she never complained of illness or pain. On her final day, she just peacefully transitioned to heaven after telling us that she was going to have breakfast with her husband( who died before I was born). Listening to her morning spirituals as she did every morning, within 3 minutes of her making that statement, she was gone.
Of all the children, grand children and even great grand children that had come from the Mccoy clan, none ever had the pleasure of sharing the same birth month as Mabert. However, after her death in September, I gave birth to that baby that she said she wouldn’t be alive to see on February 9th. While she may not have been there physically I remembered exactly what she told me, “bare down and have that baby” and that is what is did….. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MABERT, REST IN PEACE AND LOVE!
