Mother: My mother was my rock and
the glue that held my family together. She has a heart of gold and continues to
show my brother and I unconditional love. She was the second youngest of 7
children and has shown great courage and perseverance throughout her whole
life, as she has dealt with many personal struggles. I can honestly say that I
have learned all about love, compassion and empathy through my mom.
Father: My dad has always been and
continues to be a fighter. His mother died while giving birth to him and his
twin brother. His father abandoned them. My great aunt took care of them and
loved them very much; however, his uncle was an alcoholic and severely abused
them. His twin brother died from alcoholism at age 33. My father never had a
childhood that was emotionally or physically safe. My father’s struggles have
enabled me to become the mother that I am proud to be. I make sure that my 8 kids
can be kids and that they feel emotionally and physically secure. This is my
greatest gift.
Brother: My brother and I were
always very close in spite of our family challenges. We looked out for each
other when things were tough. We built two tree houses together and were best
friends (too bad it wasn’t the magic tree house-- lol)! Today my brother and I
remain close and we get together with our families during the holidays. Because
we protected each other when we were young, we always know that we can count on
each other in the present and future.
Maternal Grandmother: She was the
best!! The mother of 7 children and 21 grandchildren brought faith and
spirituality into my life. I adored her. She was always smiling and was very
humble. She never gossiped or had a bad word to say about anyone. She gave
birth to my mom when she was 45 so she was more like a great grandmother. In my
teenage years I found that I was taking on a care-giving role with her. It is for this reason why I went into
geriatric nursing.
Priest: As a young girl, I found a
lot of comfort in going to church. The priest in my church got me involved in
the youth group, folk group, choir and community service. He really helped me
to build confidence in myself. He
inspired me to continue my involvement in community service and volunteering.
Deborah,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your web today. The relationships you have with your brother is exactly what I want for my own children. I want them to be able to count on each other even into adulthood. Siblings can be an amazing bond.
I am so glad that you have a good support system, but I like that you also added your family Priest in the web. There are often times people outside of our close family that touch and support us. It goes to prove that we as educators do make a difference in children's lives. We just have to put forth the effort.
Rhonda
Deborah,
ReplyDeleteYour family sounds amazing and very strong! You are blessed to have such dedicated family members. I also spent a lot of time in church as I was growing up and it had a great impact on my life.
Krista
Deborah,
ReplyDeleteSo often it is the mother that is the glue as you put it. I find that very interesting. I agree that now as we find ourselves in that role, we are very fortunate to have had the role models we did growing up. I am sure you are an amazing mom to those 8 children !!! Even though you had challenges, you came through it all the person you are today because of those key people in your life. I really enjoyed reading about your web.
Judi
Deborah,
ReplyDeleteYour web is very interesting. I like the graphics you used. No matter what our experiences are, positive or negative, we learn from them as a child. We are being formed to be parents ourselves because we experience what was and wasn’t successful parenting skills. My sister and I are very close also. It seemed like we were together constantly. Having a man of God direct in your paths when you’re young has a positive influence on your life.
Arica
Hello Deborah,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy reading your childhood web and learning more about you. I think it is wonderful that you had such a strong foundational upbringing with all the support you had. I think having a strong support system really helps children become who they are today. Your parents seem like wonderful people and your mother obviously a fighter as well. Thank you for sharing your story and giving us a better insight into your childhood.