The supports in my life exist in several arenas; family, work, health, my community and last and most importantly, my relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!
Family
My Parents
My parents support me by remembering my birthdays, attending special occasions that involve me and conversing over the telephone. Last year I was in several stage plays and my parents who are in their late 70's and 80's traveled just to come and see me. Also when my ex husband and I split up a long time ago, my parents helped me out a lot. It was tough raising two daughters on my income alone. And the child support didn't start until a couple years after the separation.
My daughter Monica
Monica supports me in many ways. She makes me feel needed. She often calls me to talk about her work and the message she heard at church. She also makes me laugh. When I get off the phone with her, I feel good! We also have a lot in common. We are both tidy and like things in place, and we both can't wait to tell the other about the message we heard at church. We have some very memorable moments too. This past May, when I went to Texas for her graduation, she talked me into going to an European style spa. I stayed on the clothed side of course, but we had lots of laughs from that experience! My brother Jason
Prior to moving from Fort Worth, TX to Nashville, TN. in August of 2007, my brother welcomed me to stay with him until I got out of debt. He allowed me to pay a very minimal amount so I could get out of debt. 2 1/2 years later, I purchased my first home. When I moved, he help me to move and he even hung my curtains for me.
My sister Vickey
My sister, supports me by making herself available to talk to over the phone. All though she is back in Texas, we still keep contact. We talk about work, or something we saw interesting on television.
My aunt, Carol
Aunt Carl communicates with me often via internet. One way she supports me, is by giving me words of wisdom. She often sends me Christian emails or humorous emails. There have been times, when the email she sent was right on time. Either I needed the food for thought or I needed to laugh. She too came to see me perform and she treated me to see the live stage play, "Dream Girls" when it came through Nashville, TN.
My aunt Mingtoy
This particular aunt is very supportive with her personality alone. She is very sweet and kind. And she always has a kind word to say. She is also funny. And she just makes me feel good when I am around her. We recently traveled to Texas back in may for graduations I really enjoyed her company.
My Close Friend
I came to know Carmen when she joined the choir at my church. She is very friendly and caring. She always speaks words of encouragement. She was very supportive to me when I purchased my home. She prayed for me as I went through two tax credit extensions because the home I was purchasing was a short sale. When I finally purchased my home, she gave me a house warming party. Carmen is also a very good listener. I can call her to share good news or just vent if I need to and she allows me the space to do that.
Work
The next arena is work. I definitely have to have support to do the job I do, working with children and families. My co- teacher supports me by sharing her load of the many responsibilities we have and by maintaining good attendance and being on time. My supervisor has been very supportive of me, especially since I started school by respecting my time and not asking me to work overtime. Also the families are supportive by sharing vital information with me to meet the needs of their children. Another way parents are supportive is by upholding policies and providing their child with the with the things they need for being in a preschool environment.
My Community
My community is supportive to me because all of the business establishments I need to go to, are close by. The public library is a resource I often use to check out library books to support the curriculum and the interest of the children. Public parks are also supportive as they provide free recreation. I sometimes take my grandchildren to the park just to enjoy their company while being out in the open fresh air.I also recently joined a fitness center. Although I am paying for it, the staff are there to answer my questions, and assist me as needed. Also I find that my church is a very strong support system to. My church provides education, awareness and wellness initiatives and the church functions such as the choir picnic support me socially. My personal faith and relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
I chose to share this support last, because I couldn't have come this far if it wasn't for my relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. My relationship with Him has brought me through divorce, a child that ran away at age 13, single parenthood, loss of a job, surgeries and much more. But through it all, God has been my strength, my joy and the encourager of all encouragers as I receive hope and guidance from his word.
All of these supports are important to me and to not have them would make life less enjoyable. As a human I am an emotional and social being. Life would be very sad, frustrating and lonely without these support systems. They all factor in to enhance my life. But again, out of all of these supports, I can truly say, without Jesus and his word, I would really be up a creek because no one loves me unconditionally like He does!
All of these supports are important to me and to not have them would make life less enjoyable. As a human I am an emotional and social being. Life would be very sad, frustrating and lonely without these support systems. They all factor in to enhance my life. But again, out of all of these supports, I can truly say, without Jesus and his word, I would really be up a creek because no one loves me unconditionally like He does!
