Below, I have listed several individuals who have contributed to the woman I am today. They all have had an impact on my personal and professional life. I truly appreciate every experience I was able to share with each one of them as a young girl.
1. Vearlie
E. is my maternal grandmother. I
practically lived with her until I was nine years old. As a child I was always told that I “talked
too much”. But she was the only one that
took the time to not only listen to me but also answer my many questions. Our special time together every morning was
eating breakfast together and her letting me take a sip of coffee from her
cup. We would then read the Bible and
say a prayer for the day before I went off to school. After school she always had a snack prepared
for me and my brother before we started our homework. We cooked a lot of meals
together too! I was often told by others
that I was spoiled because she spent so much time with me, but I can remember
her saying, “No, she is being well loved.”
I was eleven years old when she passed away. Forty years later it still seems like yesterday
that I was combing her hair while she sat on the porch in her favorite chair. I miss her more with each passing year
because there is so much I wish I could share and talk with her about my
life. Today as I help to raise my
grandson, I reflect upon how caring and loving she was to me. I want to model her and give him that same
feeling of security in our relationship.
2.
Sandra
E. is my mother. I am her oldest child. She and my father divorced when I
was four years old. As a single parent
she did her best to communicate to me and my brother that she had to work long
hours to provide for us. She stressed to
us the value of an education. She
encouraged us to do our best and get good grades. Math was a difficult subject for me, but if
my test grade was a C, she celebrated with me as if I had gotten an A. She set an excellent example for me as a
young child when she went to college and earned her degree in nursing. She has been a licensed RN for nearly forty
years. Recently, she has experienced
some health issues. I am her primary
caregiver and it hasn’t been easy for her to accept my help. Now the roles are reversed and she is the
patient. I will continue to do so
because I truly appreciate the sacrifices she made for me and
helped me be the woman I am today.
3. Doretha L. is my aunt. She was my favorite babysitter. I loved everything about her. I especially wanted to dress up in her
jewelry and high heels. She made my
childhood fun. We took long walks in the
park, to the library, or to play at my friend’s house. She instilled the values
of how to carry myself as a young lady. She is still my role model and confidante.
4. Michael E. is my uncle. He
was the father figure in my life. He
made me feel special because he would plan special dates for us to go to
McDonald’s every Saturday, gave me my
lunch money , and paid me to keep his room clean. I was very upset when he went away to college
and cried myself to sleep at night for at least two weeks. When he returned home he still kept our
“special dates” and that meant the world to me.
He gave me the standard as to how I should be treated in a relationship
with the opposite sex. His teachings
greatly influence the characteristics I look for in a mate.
5. Ann M. was my elementary teacher and middle school Principal. I thought she was the meanest woman in the
world on our first day of class. She
required more than the norm in classwork and homework. As I got older, only then could I appreciate
the work load she was preparing me for in the future. The most important thing I respected about
her was telling me that I was born to be a leader and educator. She planted the seed in me to be the change I
want to see in the world. She told me to
find a cause in the world that would help someone and always care for the least
of those in society. When it was time
for me to graduate from college she was the one to find me a scholarship. To her memory my endeavor will be to complete
my graduate degree with a specialization in Public Policy and Advocacy.
*To personalize my blog, I have added my personal childhood web at the bottom of my blog page as well.
