From Humble Beginnings

From Humble Beginnings

I was conceived by parents whose love story I have been piecing together for the last 20 years, each of them sharing with me memories of love for one another. Conversations I had with my father from 20 years ago and comparing stories my mother now shares with me help me appreciate the life I live even more. My father was 17 older than my mother and also a married man had its challenges. I lived with my grandmother whom I called “Mama” and my grandfather. At some point very early on my Grandparents, Aunts, and Uncles whom I call my village took a hand in raising me, while my mother was trying to navigate her life through her brokenness. I had parents who were present (somewhat) but not consistent, I can accept they loved me as much as they knew how. My grandmother poured love and discipline into me, at the time I could not appreciate it! I was far from being a perfect child, using my circumstances as an excuse to act out until my late teenage years from stealing, acting out sexually, and in my adult years entering toxic relationships. Dreaming of the future was a foreign concept for me as a child not because I didn’t have the chance to but because I didn’t know how! I didn’t know how to see past the negative to make it into a positive until I was older. My village gave me as much of a normal childhood as they could, keeping me busy with sports, piano lessons, and church. I believe my village wanted me to be more than my circumstance. Instead, I focused on having someone else to blame for my choices and used my circumstance as an excuse to not want more… Needless to say I learned early on I had to be accountable for my actions. I couldn’t live a life blaming everyone else for my actions, learning to accept the fact that at 18 I am responsible for my Adult life took some time, I had seen growing up that the blame game doesn’t look good on an adult! I had to apply all of the life wisdom my grandmother was trying to instill in me about Forgiveness, Respect, and Love after she was gone at the age of 17. Navigating and learning to apply those values after she was gone was the hardest challenge I have ever had to overcome, but at the same time having that positivity instilled in me and being smart enough to apply them is how I made it out!