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My Family
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I grew up the youngest in a family that consisted of
seven children, five boys and two girls. Growing up in a big family, I always
had a person around to take care of me. The photo you see doesn’t show all of
my family because I have lost my father and two of my brothers. It is hard to
choose five people who cared for and nurtured me because each person in my
family fits that description, but I will do my best.
My mom worked two jobs, but she always took the time
to do things with me. I remember as a child my mom would always call me baby
and that made me feel special just to hear that one word. We would do things
together in the kitchen such as; baking cookies, cakes and pies and had fun
doing it. When my mom and I would do things together, she would make jokes, and
we would laugh and have such a good time. My mother instilled in me a love that
made think I could do anything and become anything I dreamed. The sense of
humor I received from my mom allows me not to be afraid to laugh at myself.
My sister Mattie is nine years older than me, but
she always found time to make me feel special and loved. Mattie would snuggle and
read to me. She would read Nursery Rhymes to me, and I still remember this one
rhyme named Fishy, Fishy in the Brook. My sister reading to me while I was
young is one of the reasons I love books.
My brother Rickey was my protector. He always made
me feel safe. As a young child, I was afraid of thunderstorms, and he would
hold me in his lap as I buried my face in his chest and he would talk to me so
I would calm down. Rickey taught me it is okay to be afraid and because you are
afraid, that fear will not last always.
I had an aunt named Mattie, I called her Aunt Matt, and
she called me girly. My aunt lived across the street from me, and I would visit
her every day. Aunt Mattie loved to fish, and she would take me fishing with
her and talk to me about being a teacher. My aunt is one of the reasons I
became a teacher. My aunt passed away for twenty years ago, and I miss her every
day.
My dad was an awesome man. Because I was the
youngest and the last child to go to school, my dad babysat me while my mom
worked because he was on disability. My father loved and nurtured me every day
by playing games with me and letting me be me. I remember riding my dad’s knee as
a little girl and helping daddy feed the chickens and the other animals. My father
taught me to be a nurturer it doesn’t matter if it a person or an animal. My
life has not been the same since my dad passed away.