Growing up in a loving, yet not-so-wealthy home has taught Mercy Umeri many lessons. She has picked up some wisdom of her own. The assistant teaching professor at Wichita State University has decided to pass down her knowledge through her new book, successfully carving the legacy she always wanted to create.
Umeri recently released a book titled “Forty-Five Things I know for Sure: Letters to my Younger Self.” The book is styled in a letter format, with each chapter being a different lesson or topic she found important for people to know. Umeri said she wrote the book to pass on the wisdom she’s learned over the years and to create “a toolbox” for those who read the book.
“I wrote (the book) as a gift to my younger self,” Umeri said. “Looking at all the challenges and obstacles I had growing up, to the woman that I am today and also to leave a gift to those who are coming after me.”
The “Forty-Five” in the title refers to her age — passing on one lesson for each year she’s been alive. However, Umeri said it was difficult narrowing down topics to just 45 and that she had to ask herself what was most important to her.
“I talked about issues that, in my time growing up, were never addressed,” Umeri said. “But I figured it out as I grew older to know that these are very important, and we should be paying attention to them.”
Throughout the book, Umeri discusses a multitude of topics, but a prominent theme within the chapters is relationships. Umeri said these can determine one’s success — and helped her achieve hers.
“You can succeed all you want, (but) if you don’t have the right people in your world, in your life, to anchor you and help you stay grounded, then all of your success can just be like a pack of cards that could just fall one day,” Umeri said. “You have to have a strong support system … I know some people can come out and say, ‘Oh, I did it all by myself.’ No, I had a huge support system.”
Being a professor, a mother, and a wife, Umeri said it was difficult to balance her time. There would be times when she would lock herself in her room, which her husband and children then understood was “Mommy’s time.”
“Sometimes they knew they cannot knock on my door. Just having all of them understand that mommy needs to do this at this time and just be graceful and gracious in the way that they were understanding,” Umeri said.
Between her support system and her firm beliefs in the book, Umeri was able to overcome the difficulties.
“I knew that this book was going to be a blessing to the world,” Umeri said. “Even if it blesses one person, then I would have achieved my God-given purpose.”
When Umeri received the call saying her book was in the final draft stages, she said she felt relief and gratitude that she was now able to share this book with the world. Despite all of the positive emotions writing the book has brought her, she said she plans to just enjoy the moment and has no near plans to write another book.
“For now, I just want to soak it all in,” Umeri said. “No future plans, just for now, just enjoying family, enjoying the moment and sharing the book with the world.”
To celebrate her book being published, Umeri is having a book talk at Wichita State.
“I want them to walk away knowing that the book would be a companion to them,” Umeri said. “It would just be like having your best friend in your room, talking with you or sharing with you every time they pick up that book.”
