DREAM BIG

Being a junior or a senior in high school I remember numerous people asking what my plans were after school. I had no idea, honestly. I never had even thought about going to college. Intact, I don't even remember anyone ever bringing it up. Other than a school counselor who told me I would never make it into a junior college, little alone college. He said this as a matter of fact since my grades were barely that of passing. The thing is my dad and I owned a janitorial company and I made a fair wage. Going to school was far less a consideration than just making it through high school. Working nights and school can be quite a challenge but I did it. I enjoyed it and I made darn good money too. The truth is I never really was a person that dreamed about getting married or having a family. I also never really imagined myself in a career. Then again when your making a decent living at 18 why worry about the future. Right?

Life changed at 20 years old when I learned I was pregnant with my first child. A year after he was born I chose to go back to school. Not only did I get into college but maintained a 4.0 my entire first year of school and was inducted into phi thetta kappa honor fraternity. I enrolled in liberal arts eventually switching gears to human services. After 3-1/2 years, my 3rd child and a break up with their father, I dropped out and moved back to my hometown.

Looking back I always had dreamed of going back and finishing my degree. Making something of myself. It wasn't until years later my foster care licensor pointed out I was making a difference. I was living that dream. I had been so busy raising my family I hadn't even noticed but all the small things in my life were adding up. Nearly every job I'd held, nearly every volunteer position I had committed to was defining who I really was.

As I continue to grow I've discovered what my life really is about. Not in a day, not in a year, but in my entire lifetime. I am a wife, a mom, a grandma, a daughter, a foster parent, i am a caregiver!