The Impact of a Relationship

How my mom changes lives every Sunday

The impact that a mother can have on somebody’s life can not be overstated. They provide the love and nurturing that someone needs and are foundational in the development of children.

My mother, Dr. Renee Canady, understands the importance not only a motherly relationship, but all relationships better than anybody I have ever met, and she exercises that knowledge through her actions every day. Whether it’s her relationship with her children, co-workers or God in her Christian walk, she always does everything in her power to make sure that her connection with those people is genuine, and as strong as it can possibly be.

It is remarkable enough that she managed to raise three boys on her own after a divorce left me and both of my brothers, but as she does regularly, she managed to go above and beyond what anybody could have asked of her. She would constantly be busy with work and her other obligations she had, but she would never fail to be somewhere to support my brothers and I.

Whether it was a band concert, piano recital, lacrosse game, or football game, she was always there to support us, and she was always engaged and invested in what was happening.

But on top of caring for her own children, she goes out of her to be a blessing to everybody she possibly could.

Her effort to have a positive relationship with people has left a positive impact on everybody that comes into contact with her. Evidence of this is found in the dynamic between her and many of the young women that attend her church, Tabernacle of David, many of whom have come to know her as “Doctor Mom.”

One of the women that has felt her impact the most is Dr. Temple Smith, who drops Doctor from the moniker altogether and refers to her as just Mom. She talk about all of the things that Dr. Canady was able to do for her.

“She gave me a mother,” Smith said. “My biological mother wasn’t too involved in my life and is now deceased, but she really provided me with that type of care.”

Smith also talked about seeing Dr. Canady establish relationships with other people and how that impacted her.

“Mom knows people by their name and their story,” Smith said. “She asks specific question when she is talking to somebody instead of just giving them a generic ‘how are things’.”

As impactful as she may be as a motherly figure, she may be even more influential in her role as a teacher. This is something that I have first-hand experience with because I have needed to be corrected by her more times than I could even try to remember.

Her position as CEO of Michigan Public Health Institute has also put her in a position over many people and her employees have come to admire her for her willingness to help them. Even when she has to pass down criticism, she does so in a way that is more constructive than detrimental, as they have come to know them as mentoring moments, or M&Ms for short.

I will always remember one particular conversation that I had with my mother in which she said that the ultimate purpose in life is found in the relationships that are built along the way. Even when times were rough and she was at the lowest of lows, she was able to use those relationships to inspire and improve herself.

Now she uses the importance of those relationships to motivate and inspire others, and that’s something that I will always emulate, because you never know who will need you to be the one to inspire them.

Wesley Canady is a junior English major and sports journalism minor from Lansing, Michigan.