I love to keep certain things that are sentimental to me. I am not much of a pack rat but cards that touched my heart and letters from loved ones I tend to hold on to. I have pictures, letters and cards from my deceased maternal grandmother who raised me, I was in sixth grade when she got physical custody of me and remained in her care until I was a young adult and she lost her battle with cancer in 1999. During the time that my grandmother cared for me I maintained a long distance relationship with my mother. We talked often on the phone, wrote letters, sent cards and we traveled back and forth to see each other. I’m sure I was a rebellious teenager and put my grandparents and parents through trials and tribulations that a normal teenager would.
I was going through some papers to purge what I wanted to keep and what could be trashed and came across a card my mom sent me in 1995 when I was a few months shy of turning seventeen. I was young and in love with my high school sweetheart, now my husband and father of my “Fab Four” and you couldn’t tell me anything because I knew it all! I was sixteen and pregnant, became a teen mom and the following June of 96’Â gave birth to my first daughter who is now fifteen and turning sixteen this coming June. I want to pass along the card that my mom sent me. I make it a priority to raise my children to enjoy life, focus on their education and NOT to make the same choices I did at their age. I’m very open and honest with them.
I want my children to take advantage of all the opportunities that come their way and live the life I didn’t get to live because once I became a young mother, my priorities changed drastically. I appreciate the fact that my family was very supportive. I didn’t go away to college and live the college life because I chose to stay home and raise my daughter and take college courses when I could and work towards my degree. Getting a job and choosing a career was my top priority at the time so that I could raise my daughter. I decided to follow in my dad, uncle and grandfathers footsteps and join the newspaper industry and thirteen years later I still remain in the same industry. That’s one of the BEST choices I ever made! This is to my daughter Bria… (My other teen & tween can take notes too) AND… Thank you mom, I Love You!
