Personal Childhood Web

This assignment really threw me for a loop. I have never thought about who influenced me in my childhood and it seems so strange to do so. I have always been very independent even as a child. ( I know that contradicts things I said in my previous blogs/discussions but I am talking about learning life experiences not monetary independence). I sat down and really thought about it and was surprised by the results that I came up with. So here are my five people that I would consider to have helped me grow up into the woman I am today.

Tom Smith-My dad. Even though he was gone most of my life he is still one of the people I respect the most. As a young child I understood that he made the decision to be the bread winner so my mom could stay at home and take care of the children. Most would call it old fashion but I understood that he sacrificed watching his children grow up to make sure that we had everything and more than we would ever need. He is the most kind hearted and caring man I have ever met even to this day. He always made sure that I knew even though he wasn't around that he loved me and supported me in everything I did. When I had a dance recital he would "send flowers" and mail a letter telling me how proud of me he was. I loved getting those letters with stamps from all over the world. He always requested my mom take video of events and when he came home, I would sit on his lap and we would watch these events together and it was like he was there. When I was a child I always felt that he loved me even from a world away. He also protected me from the world until I was old enough to understand his work. He never wanted me to be worried about him because he wanted me to concentrate on my education. I was and still am the definition of a daddy's girl. He continues to support me and push me because he believes in me which is all I could ever ask for. He is the best man I know and I continue to try and make him proud.

Ann Martin- My grandmother. (My mom's mom) My mother and her family are from England so when I was growing up I spent a lot of time there. As her only granddaughter, she took me under her wing and showed me the world, or as it seemed when I was a little girl. She had a picturesque English cottage with a creek and a field with blackberry and raspberry bushes. She would take my hand and we would stay out picking berries until it was tea time. She taught me how to make tea and biscuits (cookies) and through that taught me about different cultures. She went exploring with me and took me all over her village showing me how people lived and explain why it was different than my home in the states. She showed me that there is more to life than just what is in front of my eyes. When I was in middle school my grandfather passed away so she came to Tennessee to live near her grandchildren. Even though we didn't see each other that much before it was an instant bond again. We would watch golf and ballets together and she continued to teach me about the world through her travels and pictures which seeing I was older I understood more of what she was trying to instill in me. Never settle is what her lesson was for me. Explore and see as much as you can she would say. I miss her daily and always think about her when I eat berries. She gave me amazing experiences and I am so grateful for that.

Bobby King-My cousin (My dad's older cousin) When I was young I always looked forward to visits with "Cousin Bobby" I remember when I was a child he had this huge round belly and he was always smiling. He just seemed like he didn't have a care in the world and put everyone around him at ease. His laugh and just his general energy was something I gravitated to when I was young, which is why he donned me his favorite ;) When I got older he taught at Coone Creek Science Camp. I wasn't into science persay but my parents made me go because it was different than dance which is what my life was consumed with. I remember he would get so excited about the smallest things like if we found a rock and correctly named it or if we finished an experiment in the field or found "dinosaur fossils" seeing our excitement would fill him with joy and I remember because of his enthusiasm in turn made me excited about not just science but life in general. He taught me to be supportive of the little things because that is what builds people's confidence.

Mary Lay-My great-grandmother (My dad's grandmother) She was a spit-fire of a woman. When I was a child I remember going to her house and picking crabapples from her apple tree and she would make the best apple pie. We played with her rotary phone and watched As the World Turns and The Price is Right. I remember her being so patient. Especially with myself and my brothers. We lived in the house beside her (and my parents still live there today) so we were close with her and always went up to her house after school and ate zebra cakes and drank country time lemonade which she hid in the bread box knowing we would find them. She was so calm yet stern way of speaking to us, and if anyone messed with the "Smith kids" she was the first on the scene as a neighbor kid found out very quickly. She loved so big and she was so kind. She showed me that I can get what I want without being mean. (even though that lesson didn't reach my brain until many many years later). I stayed with her for the last year of her life and I will never forget the bond we created. She gave me her opal ring as a gift before she passed for staying and taking care of her and she told me that it was my compassion and giving spirit that would take me far in life. I still have that ring tucked away in a safe place with all of my other precious items and it will be the first thing I grab if there is a fire.

Last but definitely not least is Doris Smith-My grandmother (My dad's mom) I did not get a lot of time with her and that still makes me sad because like my dad she was such an amazing woman. When I was little I went to dance classes about an hour away from my house. She volunteered to take me sometimes when my dad was gone and my mom had my brothers. It was our special little treat. She would take me to Little Ceasers Pizza (when the pizza was long and only square) and we would share a pizza on the way back. She watched me dance with so much love and I always felt safe with her. For as long as I can remember her favorite past time was being Director of Volunteer Girls State. When I was a little older but still in elementary school she would take me on her yearly trip. It is a week long camp for girls to learn about government and leadership. Seeing how much everyone looked up to her and how amazing she was when she stood in front of the hundreds of girls that attended every year with so much confidence and passion in what she was trying to convey to these girls (the age of the girls was between 16-17 it was always the summer in between junior and senior year and each girl had to be invited to attend) She taught me that if you have a passion then you have to have the confidence to stand up and believe you can change the world. Even when I was young and going with her she instilled a great work ethic. I would help her stuff boxes of envelopes and seeing how hard she worked and how happy it made her to see what she accomplished still sticks with me today.

I am SO proud to have had (and still have) these people in my life. They have each given me a part of who I am today and I am really proud of who I have become and I am thankful that we had to do this exercise because I think in all the hustle and bustle of the day to day activities I forget about the past and how I got here. It wasn't just me but the help of the people in my past and present who have made me who I am today.