Personal Childhood Web

My Grandmother "MeMe" ~ She has been the most influential person in my life. My parents divorced when I was 6 years old and we came to Louisiana to live near my grandparents. My MeMe was the definition of a true Southern Belle. She taught me about manners, respect for my self and others, and to never settle for anything for less than I deserve. She always had a smile and she never had so much as a hair out of place. She was my best friend, my confidante. She taught me that there are some people who say they love you and some people who act like it and that I should always HONOR the ones who act like it. She went to heaven on March 31, 2011. I miss her so much and my heart will never be the same.



My Grandfather "BigDaddy"~ The rock. The strongest, gentlest, most caring man I have ever known. He treated my grandmother like a queen and he treated us like we were the most important people in the world. His 3 grandaughters were his world. He worked to provide cars, clothes, and educations to my 2 sisters and me. He always talked to us about the value of hard work and dedication to your dreams. He is a man of God and when he was able to prayed for us diligently. He just turned 98 this past Wednesday. He knows who I am most days but all days he knows I am someone he loves. The most important thing he taught me was to care for others. Do not hesitiate to feed, clothe, love, and reach out to your fellow man. He taught me ways to be smart about helping others but he always said we are not to judge their needs. If someone needs help, you simply help them. My grandfather, my Big Daddy, is the man I knew I could trust no matter what!

My Mother~My mother did not get the chance to be the mother she always dreamed of being....she was left without a choice to go to work to support us. She always dreamed of being a stay at home mom but that did not work out. She was very nurturing and loving. I remember her singing to us and reading to us. She was never too busy to let us help her in the kitchen or anything else she was doing. My mother believed in hugging and rocking us and the healing power of touch. She always scratched my back and rubbed my feet! Those were the days :) I had a free massage therapist and did not appreciate it like I would now! I will always feel like Mom got the short end of the stick when raising us. She worked and my grandparents got to spend alot of time with us. I think we had the best of both worlds!! My mom is talented and creative. She encouraged us to use our creative talents and let us explore our world. Mom also encouraged us to be our own person. I remember she let me color my hair (Cyndi Lauper stage of life), dress creatively, and explore creative ways to manipulate my world.  My mom also made us appreciate nature and instilled in us a tremendous respect for the environment. Her talents are many but being a loving, stable force in my life is her strongest talent.

Selena~my Grandmother's Housekeeper~What a woman she is! I love Selena with all my heart. She showed me the value of working hard and being true. She was true to my grandparents, true to her own children, true to us (her 2nd family) and true to herself. She raised 4 children while working 40 hours a week for my grandparents. She was in abusive situation and instead of staying for the financial secutiry, she chose to take care of her well being. I remember wondering how anyone could hit her or hurt her. Her gentle loving hands and her even gentler sweet, enduring spirit.  She treated my grandmother with such love and respect. I learned so many lessons from her on love, mutual respect, prejudice, and life from her. Selena opened my eyes to the treatment of others based on the color of their skin. I remember her stories about how others sometimes treated her children and the love and determination in her eyes about how it would all be okay......Selena taught me tolerance and understanding. How people don't stray far from what they are taught unless they open their minds. She taught me that you can go anywhere in a book and to heaven in the bible. She taught me that education is what opens doors and hard hearts are what closes them.

Mr. and Mrs. Kaiama~my lifelong bestfriend's mother~What in influence they had in my life! This was the place I could go to see a family in action! They treated me like I was "one of them". They still to this day call me their "hauli girl". They showed me how families cooperate and work together to get things accomplished. They showed me that families support and nurture one another. Laughter is the best medicine for ANYTHING that ails you and home remedies for bo-bo's work. Life lessons that can never be replaced were found in that little house in the big pasture. I recall a feeling of unconditional love. I knew that no matter what, they would still love me and be on my side. They cheered me from the sidelines when my own parents could not be there. The one lesson I know I got from them is to never, ever quit. Keep going until you finish whatever it is you started because you started it for a reason. That reason must be important to you in some way so validate it by finishing what you started. They taught me that when you love someone, you never, ever give up on them. Never. I am still a big part of their life and they are a big part of mine. I cherish the memories we have-the absolute best of my childhood were with them.


A little side note...writing this blog made me laugh and cry. It really made me think and reflect on who were the 5 most influential people in my childhood. There were many more along the way...Ms.Davis, my 7th grade science teacher, Mr. Waldrop, my 6th grade Social Studies teacher, Coach Foshee, Mrs. Lenahan, Mrs. Taylor and countless other educators who touched my life. Thanks to those who believed in me.....