Eighty-two year old mother grateful for life

By Talaia Mika

APIA, SAMOA – 08 MAY 2022: As Samoa celebrate Mother’s Day in thanksgiving this Sunday and a public holiday tomorrow, mothers and women take the focus and the best their children, families and communities can provide.

Other than being driven by commercialisation and business, the annual day gives children the opportunity to present gifs for their mothers and celebrate their contributions and a time for reflection for those whose mothers have moved on.

But for eighty-two year old Faamamalu Sapi Piula Misimoa of Magiagi, she is just grateful to God for her life and to her children for the care provided her and making it to this age with great and very fond memories.

“Being a mother is a God-given gift for any female young and old,”Faamamalu Misimoa told Talamua.

‘’You will be given the chance to raise a child, a life of a person given by God to your hands to care for and raise to become an image we want them to become,’’ she said.

‘’Raising a child you should teach them how to pray, guide them to the right path and you better yourself as a person because you are the role model for your children.”

Faamamalu is a mother of eight, a grandmother and a great grandmother to her many children, living in Samoa and overseas.

‘’Mothers’ Day is just another day to remind us mothers of how important our roles as mothers are in our families, communities, churches and across the world.’’

In her age, she keeps active with daily habits such as weeding the grass on her front yard.

When she was a young girl, she was the closest to her mother who became a major source of influence in her life.

She reminded mothers that the most wonderful weapon to overcome any challenges in life and in their families is through prayer.

‘’Take your children’s hands and pray with them, make it a habit to pray from their childhood and you’ll know how impactful that practice will be to you and your child and your family,’’ she said.

Faamamalu Misimoa is well known in her church as a humble and a warm person.

In her old age, she is slowly experiencing dementia and today, she will always greet anyone who approaches with ‘’God bless you’’ or ‘’Pray’’.