Daddy- My dad was a single father when I was growing up. He took care of my brother and me. Sometimes it seemed as if we did not have much but with the love that he gave to us it made it seem as if we had the world. He always encourage us to do our best. He would say "never say, I can't cause Old Man I Can't died when your was born." That saying has be with me throughout my life. Every year for my birthday he would make sure that I had a birthday cake. This one year he did not have the money to get me one so he got me a Little Debbie cake from the corner store and put a candle on it. Him and my brother sung Happy Birthday to me. I felt so important that my dad would spend his last to make sure I had . Now that I have my own family I try to use some of the things that I learned from my dad to help my son become the best that he can. My dad is still a great influence in my life. Now that I am back in school he told me to work hard and remember that Old Man Can't died when I was born!
Mommy- My mommy was not in my life long and even though I do not remember a lot the time I did spend with her, I know that she loved. I know this because she allowed my father to take me and my brother and give us a better life than she could. I do remember visiting with her for short periods of time and she would always say I love you and keep doing good in school. She passed away in 1998. This makes me sad sometime that she would never get to see me graduate, go to college, get married and have children. When I graduated from high school I remember having a a dream the night before and in that dream she told me that she was proud of me. That made me feel even more proud of myself. As I look back on the things that I know and later found out about her life I am determine to me a better model for my children and the children I come in contact with.
Momma Rosie- My Momma Rosie is in the middle in this photo. She is my dad's mother. Momma Rosie was my mother figure. When my dad move to North Carolina from Pennsylvania, she welcomed us into her home with open arms. She stood in the gap where my mother was missing. I remember helping in the kitchen. She would can veggies and make blackberry jam, carrot juice and so much more. I would be so excited to help, I loved putting the carrots in the juicer and hearing it make the sound. I had really long thick hair as a child and she would take her time and comb it and give me pony tails. She would teach my brother and me about the Bible and all about God. We was in church, what seemed to us, from Sunday to Sunday. She would attend any functions that we had going on at school and she would take us almost anywhere we wanted to go. At age 94 she is still influencing me, from giving advice on parenting to ministering to me about God. I am so happy that she is in my life, she took so good of care of me that now I repay her by taking care of her.
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My sister Felicia has always been someone that I could talk to about anything. We have the some father and even though we did not grow up in the same house we have a lot of memories together. She would come get me on the weekends and we would go get our hair done, go shopping and out to eat. We would talk to me about school, and even boys. I will never forget the day she gave me a birthday party at her moms house. It was only a few people but we had a great time. As I got older and was ready to graduate from high school she let me live with her and her two children. I use to watch the children for her when she needed some mommy time. When I went off to college she told me to work hard and it will pay off. I still receive that same encouragement now. I know that I could call her with any problem and she will have something encouraging to say or she will tell me after listening to me "Serita, now you know how you can be.." and sometimes i have to agree even when I don't want to. She is the best sister anyone could ever ask for.
Brother- My little brother, throughout this blog you have read about me and my brother, well here he is: John. He is like my best friend. we grew up together and we share something that we do not share with any of our siblings, we have the same father and mother. So our bond is a lot stronger than the rest. He would find a way to make someone laugh no matter what they might be going though. I recall my Momma Rosie giving him a spanking with a switch, and no matter how hard she would hit him, he would just stand there and then she just fell out laughing. She forgot what she was spanking him for. He is the type of person that does not like confrontation and will try his best to get to the bottom of the issue. Sometimes when I get over whelmed he will say remember what daddy told us when we was little " Old Man Can't died when you was born". Just like my sister if I need to talk to someone I could call him and he will listen. Evey time I think back over our lives I am encourage with how strong he is and how he never doubted his self. He would tell me sis one I am going to move away and do me. He is now living in Atlanta, Georgia and planning to go back to school to get his masters!
