I Am Still Here in Remembrance: A Grateful Matriarch Shared Her Story of Overcoming Life

By: Radio Biz Coach Margaret Jackson ¦ AM1220 KDOW ¦ https://businessontheedge.biz

Memorial for Cora Holmes by Margaret Jackson

In October 2020, Cora Holmes, a local inspirational church mother and an influencer in my life, was the woman that taught me how to pray. Cora asked me if I would help her share her story and publish it in our magazine. Of course, that was an easy yes. It is always essential to go back and say thank you to those that had a positive influence on your life. In October, we began meeting virtually through ZOOM to capture her story. We published her story in 2021 for the special edition of the Black History Month SBC magazine. We are republishing Cora’s story in this magazine as a memorial to Cora Holmes to thank her for all the lives she touched while she was here.

On January 22, 2023, a Sunday morning, Cora Holmes passed away peacefully after patiently waiting for her angels to escort her to heaven. Her last prayer request was for God to let her come home.

Story Interview:

We have what you would call the mommas in the black community—the matriarchs who instruct us in life lessons, get your education speeches, love of faith, and perseverance; they tend to be direct and unapologetic in their teaching and training. We relate to the Madea’s of the neighborhood; they have something to teach whether you wanted to hear it or not. In the black community, there is a deep respect for the mommas. We love them for their commitment to us. Cora Holmes is one of the mommas from my California neighborhood and community.

It was my honor to sit down with Cora Holmes on two ZOOM interviews to hear her story. Cora Mae Holmes, 81 years young, was born in Saint

Maurice, Louisiana, and raised in California. She lives in East Palo Alto, California, in the same house for almost 49 years, with the same phone number. Cora has a story of pain, discouragement, faith, hope, and renewed encouragement. Cora is an unsung hero, a mother of six, a widow, and a no-nonsense Christian spiritual mentor to many people, including myself. Cora is a straight shooter, a WYSIWYG; what you see is what you get. She is an ordained minister and has walked with God since July 13, 1966.

Why her story? Patriarchs and Matriarchs are full of wisdom, and this story is about the realities of the challenges of life and, you can face those adversities, hang on to faith, hope, and love like Cora, as she stands here today with great joy able to say, “I’m still here.” COVID-19 shook the entire planet, families, businesses, governments, and Cora’s story is a reminder of what is most important in this journey called life.

Cora's Voice-The Genesis:

old. At that point, I do not know what happened to me, but I started spiraling downward. Twenty years ago, I had hip replacement surgery because my hip had worn out. In March of 2020, I was in excruciating hip pain. It was unimaginable and unbearable. I contacted my orthopedic doctor; he requested that I come in for an x-ray of the hip. The doctor asked me, how are you walking? I replied I do not know. My doctor admitted me into the hospital that very same day.

In the last several years, my life has been met with physical and health obstacles so much that they impacted me physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Living life became discouraging to the point I would ask God to let me die. I watched the quality of my life slipping away, and I felt helpless, hopeless, and at times faithless. In 2018 I fell and broke my right shoulder. I was 78 years

On March 11, 2020, I had surgery on my right hip. The surgery went well, and I was sent home and doing well. Until I got an infection, I had to go back to the hospital eighteen days later, on March 29, 2020, and have a second surgery in the exact-same, incision location. In April 2020, I had to go back a third time to the hospital and have a third surgery in the exact-same incision location to be cut once again (Surgeries performed by Dr. D. Holtzman of Kaiser Hospital). After the third surgery, the pain was horrible, and I felt like, this is it, Lord, when I go to sleep, I do not want to wake up, but I did wake up. Here I was, living another day in unimaginable pain. I have six adult children, and they were all home to assist and help me. I was feeling emotionally low, broken, and defeated; I wanted to give up. I prayed and asked God, why did you leave me here? He replied in my heart, "So that you can tell your story."

Cora's Voice-My Story:

So here is my story about God in my life. Despite all the pain and physical challenges, I found that God is a very good and gracious God. I have a severe blood disorder with anemia. I am a little emotional talking about this (as Cora's voice begins to gently shake when she begins to express God's goodness to her).

So here is my story about God in my life. Despite all the pain and physical challenges, I found that God is a very good and gracious God. I have a severe blood disorder with anemia. I am a little emotional talking about this (as Cora's voice begins to gently shake when she begins to express God's goodness to her). God has stabilized my blood. I am 80 plus 1. It is amazing to see what God has done for me. When I first came home from the hospital, I could not sit on a commode; I had to use a portable commode. I could not take care of my personal needs like bathing - I was distraught and wondering how I got this way?

When God told me to tell my story, it did something inside of me, and it gave me a new outlook on life. I thought to myself. Okay, God, someone must need to hear this story to be encouraged. I decided that I would tell my story, and it is that "God is a good God" I have been extremely ill. Still, God has brought me through it and is still getting me through it. Life is not without its obstacles and hurdles. Margaret, I am telling you that it has been an amazing journey. I can now walk from my bed to the bathroom. I can get in the shower. I can get into my car. I am amazed at the progress that God is blessing me with - it has just been amazing. As you get older, things change, and how you see those things are different. You find that the things around you are not as important as you thought they were. I decided that I would make the best out of a bad situation - when life gives you a lemon, you make lots of lemonade - I have made a lot of lemonade. We are creatures of habit. I found that I liked to eat out of a particular bowl. I wanted my food on my plate a certain way - it is incredible how things change, and you realize that things are trivial, and they have no meaning - it is like when King Solomon said, "it's all meaningless, meaningless, all is meaningless said the preacher" and it is. It is all temporaryyou here, you live, you die - the end for all of us is death. We work hard to attain and acquire things, then we die and leave them. Solomon says in chapter two or three"Who is to say what will happen to my goods when I am gone?" When my mother died, we threw almost all her things away. It was useless for us. While I am here and living, I am trying my best to make the most of it. It has been a good journey. I have accepted where I am - I am going to stop because I am getting too emotional - thank you. (First interview ended.)

Every day is a different day for me; I was exposed to COVID and got tested, the results came back negative. I am praising God for that result. I cannot tell you how God the Creator has been to me in terms of - through all this “I’m Still Here, I’m Still Here!” (as Cora’s voice quivers and cracks out of the goodness of God to be here living and breathing). God, you blessed me to be here still, and I am so grateful. If this story never goes anywhere, I am grateful that I could tell it to you, Margaret.