Lessons for this Mother’s Day

Jackie Gaines, MS, RN is a high performing Senior Executive, National Speaker and Best-Selling Author with a progressive career encompassing more than 40 years of sustained leadership and accomplishments with major health systems and organizations. She has dedicated most of her career to the advancement of quality health care programs throughout the United States, particularly those focused on the care of the poor and underserved. Jackie travels all over the country telling her story and the leadership lessons learned throughout her career.

Jennifer Gaines, RN, MSN, MBA recently accepted the position of Interim Chief Clinical Officer of Crossing Rivers Health in Prairie du Chien, WI.  She was formerly the Regional Director of Planned Parenthood of MD and also spent 17 years working in clinical and management positions within the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.  She participates in international medical missionary work and has worked with several non-profits throughout Maryland.

What are you most proud of when you think of your daughter/mother? 

Jackie: Jennifer has accomplished a lot in her life both professionally and personally for a Mom to be proud of.  However, her work with the poor and vulnerable throughout the world really strikes a chord in my heart. Jenn has been working with surgical teams for more than a decade, bringing health care to those that would otherwise not be able to obtain it.  The images of the children who received oral reconstruction are overwhelming.  And she continues that giving in her own community through her work with organizations like United Way.  This work has become her passion.  This work makes me very proud.

Jennifer: I am beyond proud of the woman that she is and all that she has accomplished in life so far.  She is a best-selling author with a wide international audience, national speaker, and she was the first African-American woman to run a health system in the US.  And if that isn’t enough, she became a Zumba instructor at the age of 59!  My mom is A-mazing!

What’s the greatest lesson your daughter/mother has taught you?

Jackie:  Jenn tries to live life to the fullest- experimenting and trying new things.  I love her sense of adventure.  Although I may never try some of the things she has experienced (like eating raw fish), I can live vicariously through her adventures.

Jennifer: My mother has always encouraged me to follow my passions and remain true to myself.

What did you see in your daughter at an early age that now serves her well as an adult? Jackie:  Jenn has always been a very creative person, enjoying the beauty of dance and creating things from scraps others would see as trash.  Today, she continues to create incredible jewelry, baby gifts and designs that others now pay to own.  That creative lens also plays out in the workplace, as she designs unique programming to help organizations achieve their goals.

What do you see in your mother that you now see in yourself? Jennifer: I see a lot of my mother staring back at me when I look in the mirror.  I hear her in my voice in some of the expressions I say.  We are both very energetic, driven and compassionate individuals.  We both chose to enter the career field of healthcare and we both have a desire to positively impact the community around us.

What’s the biggest difference you see in today’s times that creates challenges or ease? Jackie:  When I was growing up and even when we raised our children, there was a broad group of family, friends, and community that encircled us in love and contributed to raising our children. If kids stepped out of line, a neighbor would step in without fear of repercussion from an unappreciative parent.  Today, that community parenting model seems non-existent at a time when everyone needs to be invested in “our” children regardless of genetic ties.  So many influences – drugs, gangs, violence- that parents alone cannot control or shield our children from. I welcome a nosey neighbor helping me to keep an eye on what my grandchildren are doing.  I long for the days when that circle of caring was much larger.

As a soon-to-be stepmom, how has your mother impacted the way you view motherhood? Jennifer: My mother was selfless often putting our well-being over hers.  She has shown me that there isn’t a preset way to be a mother, and you will sometimes have to adjust your method to each child.  What remains consistent is that you love them unconditionally, you nurture (not coddle) them and provide them with what they need to grow physically, mentally and spiritually.

What’s one thing you’d like your daughter/mother to know this mother’s day? 

Jackie:  That’s easy – No matter what, you are always deeply and completely loved.

Jennifer: Simply, that I love her and credit her for the woman that I am today.