Personal Childhood Web

This picture says it all for me when I think of the most influential people in my childhood.  My mother who is holding me, my grandmother who is next to her, and my grandfather who is in the back are and were my biggest fans.  These people were always there to support me and love me unconditionally.  They made me feel like I was extremely important in their life.  My grandmother who was not only my Sunday school teacher but watched me everyday when my mother worked full-time.  She was the person that molded me to be kind and gentle.  My grandfather was the pastor of our church and was the father figure in my young life.  I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful man to help me grow.  My mother, who I cannot say enough about, is the one who has given me strength and drive for what I do.  She understands me like no other person does.
 My grandfather and me.  We lived next door to each other and were connected like a father and daughter.
 When I looked back at these old pictures for this assignment, I found that every Christmas I was clinging to a baby doll.  I always knew I would be a mother and my mother was a great roll model for me.
My sister was four years older and had a big influence in my childhood.  I looked up to her and always wanted to be with her.  I always strived to be like her.  She was always so brave in my eyes.
When I was around seven years old, my mother married my step-dad.  This man who was full of energy and loved to teach took me under his wing and nurtured me.  He practiced softball with me every night until dark in the spring and summer and helped me build my talents, and again I had another special adult in my life that helped me to become the outgoing person I am today.
I feel very lucky to have had such a strong network of people in my life as a young child.  I only hope to give my two children, who are my world, the network of loving adults that I had.