Personal Chidhood Web

My parents, sister, and I before National Honor Society Ceremony years ago

Gram and I

My Grampy

Sisterly Love

Personal Childhood Web

My Mom The greatest words I can use to describe my mom are unconditional love. I have known all of my life that my mom will love me no matter what. She taught me about self-sacrifice from a very young age. She always gave to me and my siblings even if it meant that she would have to forego something that she really wanted. My mom was and still is always there for the special moments in my life. She supports me in all that I have done and continue to do. She was always ready with advice to give but didn’t push me into making decisions, she let me make them for myself but was there to help me up when I would stumble from the decisions that I would make. My mom gave me a sense of purpose in my life and taught me that I should always stand up for myself. She is a very giving person, so she taught me about giving to others before even thinking of myself which is a trait that I am now trying to pass on to my own children. I have had many special times with my mom but one of the most special times I have had with her was recently when my uncle (my dad’s brother) passed away. I was very close to him and so I tried to be there for my aunt to help get her through the difficult moments. Her own daughter was not there for her during this time and she said that my sisters and I were more like her daughters than her own daughter was. My mom came to me after the funeral and told me how proud she was of me for being there and taking care of my aunt. I told her that was because of the way I was raised. My mom’s impact in my life continues today in the way I am trying to raise my own children. She raised me to be respectful, loving, patient, and kind. She taught me that children are a gift and should always feel important especially to their parents. She taught me how to give to others even if it means making a sacrifice in my own life. I try to live my life today so that my mom can look at every aspect of it with pride for the daughter that she raised.

My Dad My dad passed away 7 years ago but up to the day that he died, he was a very strong influence in my life and he continues to be to this day. My dad was a quiet man, who didn’t have a lot to say but when he spoke, what he said had a lot of meaning. He was a very strong man who went to work each day to provide for our family. My dad went to work for long hours but never complained about what he did or the sacrifices he made for us. He taught me that taking care of your family is the most important thing and he did that without faltering. My dad was a man of few words, but he made me feel special by always being there for me and sharing in all of my accomplishments. I always knew he was proud of me not by him telling me so, but by him being there to show his pride. He would tell others about his daughters and they would tell me how proud he was of all of us. The most special moment I had with my dad was dancing with him at my wedding. We danced to the song “Daddy’s Hands” and I remember that he talked to me more during this dance, than he had ever talked to me before. The words to that song say “Daddy’s hands weren’t always gentle, but I’ve come to understand, there was always love in daddy’s hands.” My dad was firm when he had to be, but he was also gentle with me and I always knew that he loved me. His legacy lives on in me today because he taught me that words aren’t always needed to tell someone how much we care. He taught me that actions speak volumes more than words and I try to be a living example to the values and lessons that my father taught me.

My Gram My grandma, or as I call her “gram”, is the matriarch of our family. She is the glue that binds us all together. Her house is my safe haven and it always has been. My father’s parents passed away before I really had a chance to know or remember them so I have only really known my mother’s parents. We moved into the house beside them when I was five years old. I can’t remember a time in my life without my grandma. She has always been there for me as a place I could turn to when I felt lost or alone. She had those open arms to encircle me and make me feel completely loved. When my parents were upset with me or had disciplined me in some way, I could always run to my grandma and she would hug and comfort me and then talk to my parents about the way they had treated me. My grandma is 86 years old now and just as loving and caring as she ever was. I try to make time to see her every week and I cherish every moment that I get. She is a wise woman and has taught me a lot about life and love. My grandparents were married for 49 years before my grandpa passed away and they displayed a love that I grew up knowing I wanted to have in my own life. My grandma tells me all the time that my husband reminds her of my grandpa. I take comfort in that knowing the love that they shared is also the love that I have found. In my life today my grandma still influences me in the way that she lives. She is a very strong woman who is not afraid to speak her mind or stand up for what she believes in. She has taught me that family is extremely important and to stand by your family no matter what. She treats my children the same way that she always treated me and I know that she would never let any kind of harm ever come to any of us. We have a special song that we share and I tell her all the time that I can’t help but think of her and her love when I hear it. The song is “A Picture of Me Without You” and it says “have you watched as the heart of a child breaks in two? Then you’ve seen a picture of me without you”. I think that is exactly how I will feel when my gram is no longer with me, so I will treasure each moment I get to spend with her and carry on her legacy by loving with my whole heart just like she always has!





My Grandpa My grandpa (grandpy) passed away when I was 13 years old but his memory lives on in my heart as if he were still here with me. It is often times I think of my actions and wonder if my grandpa would be proud. My grandpa showed me he loved me in many ways. He spent time playing with us and teaching us things. He grew a garden and let us help him in planting and harvesting what he planted. He took the time to teach us the steps that he used in planting and I cherish the memories I have of being in the garden with him. One very special memory I have of my grandpa is when he picked a squash that he had grown one time and he asked me to give it to my mom. Well instead, my sister and I decided to play catch with it. We weren’t so good at it, and we dropped the squash and it broke. My grandpa was very upset with us and yelled at me for this. I loved and respected my grandpa so very much and for him to yell at me was like the end of the world. I remember going in my house and just sobbing because I had disappointed him. He came over a few minutes later and apologized to me and told me that he loved me and was sorry that he had hurt my feelings. I told him that I was sorry that I had broken the squash and would listen to him next time. I actually wrote a children’s book when I was in college about this incident. I titled it, TheAccident. The last page of the book (illustrated by my husband) looks like this: . In that moment, my grandfather taught me that forgiveness is an important aspect of loving someone. My grandpa died of cancer in 1991 and I was at the hospital with him many times as he was suffering. On the last day that I saw him as I was saying goodbye, he said to me, “Be good.” I have tried to live up to this throughout my life. I really want to make my grandpa proud of me and carry on the love that he showed me all of the days that I knew him. He taught me that love is so important to show people and we can show it in many ways. I am passing this legacy on to my children through the memories I have of him and all that he taught me in my life.



My Sisters



When thinking of adding a fifth person to this blog, I couldn’t pick just one of my sisters. I have three sisters. My oldest sister is five years older than me. My next sister is two years older than me and my last sister as you can tell is my twin. I share a special bond with all of them and we are very close. My oldest sister has always been like a second mother to me. She has loved and supported me from the time I can remember. She was always the one telling me that I could do anything I wanted to do in life and it was because of her pushing me in school that I went on to college and furthered my education. She always showed how proud she is of me and told me so as well. She has always tried to provide for us and helped my parents give us things that they couldn’t give us on their own. She always looked out for my best interests and showed me what it means to have a friend for a sister. My next oldest sister also has taken care of me and still does. When she knows that I need something she is the first one there to provide it for me and my family. When we were young, we did a lot of things together and had a lot of laughs. She has always been very caring and nurturing and today she is a nurse which isn’t surprising because she was born to help people. My final sister is the best friend I have ever had. We are identical twins, so we did everything together when we were young. We were inseparable. We cared and looked out for each other always. We would never let anything bad happen to the other one and to this day we support each other in any way that we can. She has taught me that love is being selfless and giving everything that you have to make others happy. She is a strong person who always shows her love to those around her by giving and caring. Today she lives 5 hours away from me and although we don’t talk as much as we used to, our bond has not been broken. When we are together it is like it has always been. She takes care of me, and loves me for who I am no matter my flaws. I grew up in a very loving home surrounded by 3 sisters who loved, supported, and nurtured me throughout my whole life. It is because of them that I know how to love so completely and how to show that love to my husband, my children, and all of the people in my life.