Hope's Blog: February 2012

My Supports

I am a very independent person and I would like to say that I don’t have much support because I don’t like to rely on others, however that wouldn’t be true. As I thought about my supports I thought about my emotional supports- my father, my sister, my husband, my son. They give me the motivation to keep going when things are challenging and stressful. They support me by listening to me and by making me smile. Without them I wouldn’t have someone to turn to discuss what is going on in my life and get advice. I wouldn’t have someone to laugh with and to make me smile. I wouldn’t have much to look forward to. At work I receive support from some of my directors. They offer to help me when possible and are always positive and that makes my job a bit easier. Without the support of those directors I would have to spend a lot more time at work and away from my family. Without their positive and encouraging words I would feel overwhelmed and I would not enjoy my job. I also have certain physical supports such as money. food, water, shelter and my car. All of these make my life a bit more simple and less stressful (well, when I have them J).

One challenge that I thought about is being blind. I think that I would need a lot of support if I was to be challenged in this way. I would need the support of my family to help me emotionally and physically as well. I would not be able to drive and I wouldn’t be able to continue working at my current job which would cause a lot more stress. .I wouldn’t be able to watch my son play soccer or see his pictures that he draws each day for me. I would need help with picking out clothes and getting dressed. I would need help typing and writing papers. I think that I wouldn’t take the little things for granted, I would realize and appreciate all the support and have an even deeper relationship with them on a different level. It would be difficult to feel comfortable and supported by people that I don’t really know, so without my family to support me, I don’t think I would be able to exist.

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Personal Childhood Web

Five people who nurtured and cared about me as a child:

1. My Mother & Father-
My parents always made me feel special and still do. I admire this because my parents have 5 children and were able to make each one of us feel important and loved. My mother made me feel special by baking and doing crafts with me and my dad made me feel special by teaching me to play baseball and encouraging me to p lay sports. These little moments meant a lot to me because they involved time spent with just my parents and doing activities that my other sibilings did not. I remember my parents discussing these moments with their friends and family and I felt so proud. My parents have been married for 42 years and have raised 5 children. I have seen them go through many challenges, but they have stuck together and worked through them together and that inspires me.

2. My Siblings-
I honestly can say that my sibilings are my best friends. I have 2 older sisters and 1 older brother and 1 younger brother. There is a 15 year age difference from my younger brother to my older sister, so growing up my older sibilings helped nuture and influnce me to be who I am today. Growing up I could count on my sibilings to help care and nuture me, to support me when needed, to listen to me, to stick up for me and to be honest with me even if I didnt want to hear what they had to say. We continue to provide all this for each other even now.

3. Mrs. Hewko-
In fourth grade I transferred from a small private school to a public school and was quickly overwhelmed and lost. However, I was lucky enough to have Mrs. Hewko for a teacher. I was 1 of 25 kids, but she made me feel like I was the only one in the room. Mrs. Hewko made sure to get to know me and really make a connection with me. This influnenced me to do the same with my children.

4. Ms. Czarnecki-
She was my middle school math teacher, which was definitely a difficult task. Math is not my strongest subject and until 7th grade I managed to squeak through each math class without really understanding what I was doing. Ms. Czarnecki however, was different then my other teachers. She took time to really know her students and reallized I was struggling. Mrs. Czarnecki made sure she called on me to answer questions in class and when I didnt know the answer she worked through it with me instead of moving on. She made me stay after class and assigned me more work. She walked by my desk and made sure I was on task. Although I was not too fond with her at first, I realized she really cared for me and was helping me. I was very lucky to have her again in 8th grade. Then when I went to highschool and tried out for softball, she became my coach. She was there for me during a really difficult time and worked to continue to build a reationship with me and make sure I was doing okay in and out of school. She even gave me shoes to wear and a new glove to use. I realized that sometimes the ones who really care for you are the hardest on you because they know your potential.

5. Mr. Price-
Mr. Price or better known as Phil, was my high school math teacher and is also my brother-in-law. He spent lots of time and effort teaching me math as well. We spent long nights working on assignments and he was always willing to help. He was also a big part of my life during a really difficult time, he listened and supported me. Phil and my sister were like my second parents. When I was struggling to get along with my parents during my teen years, they allowed me to stay with them and took me on trips with them.

Baby Heart

This is a picture of me with my older brother. I love this picture because it brings back so many great memories of time I cherished with my brother and how much I wish he was still here today. My mother shared a story with me that really portrays what an amazing older brother I had. When I was about 2 years old, my brother was 4, we werer at the grocery store and someone came up to my mother to tell her how cute she thought I was and my brother said, "step away from my baby heart please." My mother said he was very protective of me.