For 363 days a year I tell myself to be strong and grateful. Sometimes I have tough days and moments, but I pull myself together and move forward. Every year on April 21 and Mothers Day I give myself a pass to be weak, to think all the thoughts and feel all the feelings that come with losing a parent. After 15 years without my mom three feelings are most prominent. I’ve shared a raw picture of what that looks like and why in words below.
On most years I spend the anniversary of her death with family or doing something active, but in the midst of the pandemic and sheltering in place I’ve been coping in a cycle: think, pray, cry, sleep, eat, repeat, but this too shall pass.
Read MoreUnfolding stories, true or not, told by a wide range of authors brought me great joy as a child and continue to inspire me on my journey through adulthood. Last year was my first time participating in Read Across America at two elementary schools in the Inland Empire. I thoroughly enjoyed engaging with the students, sharing the importance of reading and shamelessly plugging my alma maters, Southeastern Louisiana University and the University of Southern Mississippi.
Public education provided many benefits beyond the classroom and gave me extraordinary experiences, adventures and lifelong relationships. Among the many lessons I learned from public educational institutions, Franklinton High School taught me to have PRIDE, Personal Responsibility In Developing Excellence; Southeastern showed me that I was more than a number and USM ignited me to soar To The Top!
Read More