Dear Editor,
I would like to honour Lilith Rogers, known simply as “Mom” to everyone. She has had a great impact on many lives of young people for many decades in St. Maarten and in particular in Middle Region.
Mom was an entrepreneur in the truest sense of the word before we even knew what that was in St. Maarten. She ran what was possibly the first established (though unofficial) daycare in St. Maarten. She minded the Wathey kids, so that’s how far reaching her services were.
As early as dawn, parents would drop their kids off by “Mom” for her to watch after them while they went off to work. Then the kids who came from school around 1:00pm would drop off at her house and wait until their parents later came from work to pick them up. It was not uncommon, however, that babies and/or children ended up uncollected by their parents, spending the night, nights, weeks or months at Mom’s house.
Though “Mom” charged peanuts for her daycare services, still to this day she is owed tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid fees. And that’s being very modest.
Most of us had our first education and higher education at Mom’s house. She was an avid reader, watched lots of interesting programmes on TV and she expected all children to excel in whatever they did.
“Mom” also was a seamstress. For decades she sewed countless school uniforms for children. Again, this was done without her collecting the dues for her work from parents.
She sewed carnival costumes, work uniforms, curtains, tablecloths and any outfit that people wanted made. Often on very short notice and hardly without full payment.
Her house is a testament to her sewing skills. Everything that is made of fabric in her house has been made by her own hands.
Lastly, “Mom” did various services: catering, ironing, cleaning services and lots of charity work at church and everywhere in the community.
And she did all this while being the caretaker of “the ol’ man” from Middle Region.
She was also the embodiment of sustainable living long before it became a rage.
“Mom” had a small plot of land at Defiance where she went at 4:00am to plant or harvest. She grew any and every provision and vegetable imaginable. In her back (and front) yard she has always had every vegetable and fruit that can be grown on the island. She raised her own chickens, goats, cows, and pigs. She always had dogs that grew so old they even outlived some people. And nothing, absolutely nothing went to waste.
Mom raised so many children but especially her daughter and her grandchildren are a testament of the education, values and wisdom she has imparted to so many.
She has always been “92” when you ask her age, but presently she is in her 80s. I do think she deserves public recognition and a medal for her outstanding influence and contribution to St. Maarten and the Middle Region community.
Let’s give her her flowers while she is still here.
Sandra Cocks
