The ones I adore

List your immediate family members and share what you admire most in them, young and old. These people can be in your immediate family if you are married and have a family of your own, or these people could be part of the bigger family YOU are a part of. Journal about what makes each family member special. The things you admire most in them.

First and foremost I have to say many wonderful people in my family have shaped and have been influential in my life. When I think of those who won my admiration, the first person that comes to mind is my grandmother. My grandmother was a beautiful woman, both inside and out. She exudes of all things that are great. My grandmother only had an 8th grade education, but she was one of the wisest women i know. No matter what was going on in the family, my grandmother was always there to make things right. She put Martha Stewart to shame. My grandmother was an awesome seamstress. She sewed many of my dresses when I was growing up. She also was great a knitting, crocheting, and quilting. My grandmother was the ultimate hustler. She raised 9 children on income rats could not suffice off of, but somehow she managed to keep food on the table and a roof over her children's head. She ironed clothes, baked pies, cooked dinners, sewed dresses, cooked cakes, babysitted, she did whatever was neccessary to maintain. My grandmother was one of the most generous and kind hearted person to walk the face of the earth. She reached out to the homeless, took care of the sick, always shelling out monies to help those who she considered less fortunate, when she herself was less fortunate. She made the best of every situation. She made us its not what you HAVE in life that matters, its who you SHARE it with that counts. My grandmother was a woman who stood up for what was right and never allowed anyone to walk all over her or her children. She was very respectful, but demanded her respect as well. She taught me that anything I wanted was at my grasp. Too always dream big! Never settle! AND the importance of a GOOD EDUCATION. I will always be grateful to her for that.

My son 9 year old son Jariel is another person whom I admire. He is SO LOVING! Everywhere he goes, I am told how special he is. How lucky I am. He is always making sure I am okay or happy. He is so sweet. He looks after me, as well as many others. He is also a great listner and even greater problem solver. He is so incredibly smart. He is so much like my grandmother. He stands up to bullies who pick on other children. He will not back down, for what he feels is right. His smile lights up a room and he is such a pleasure to have around when chips are down. Something about his presence gives me reassurance that somehow everything will be ok.

My hubby is another person to whom I admire. He is such A GREAT FATHER. It boggles my mind how someone who never had a father (his father died when he was 18 months) would even know how to be a dad... I mean who's example did he follow. He is such a big part of our children's life, that I sometimes suspect that he is the favored parent. I guess it helps that he is a big kid himself. I mean this man will spend hundreds of dollars on water guns and ballons just to have a water fight with our kids and all the neighborhood kids. He has to pick out all of the toys and play with the children... He gives the children their baths and reads bedtime stories to my daughter. My daughter think he's the KING OF ALL DADS anyway. He is a Gentle Giant!

My eldest child Bee is one to be admired, because of his strength. He is wise beyond his years. He takes such good care of his siblings and God help anyone who messes with his baby brother or baby sister. He acts like a mad dog, when it comes to them. He is so mature. I can trust him! He is so helpful. He is so protective of me, that its not even funny. My dh always tells him that he is the man of the house when he's not home, and boy does he take this job to heart. I sometimes have to ask myself who's the parent?

My daughter Jaree = I admire her courage. She has been thru so much. From the day she was born, she was a fighter. She doesn't let anything stop her. She is so independent! She is also such a neat freak and a priss, don't know where she gets it, because I was the total opposite. I admire her beauty, both her inner beauty and outter. She is a wonderful little person.

I also admire my sister. She is so successful. A go getter! A hustler. She makes her dreams a reality everyday. She is such a hard-working person. She is like my grandmother in that since. I am so proud of her.

Last but not least, I admire my mom.... She is such a sweet person. My world would crumble without her. Last year, my mom was diagnosed with colon cancer and my world came tumbling down. I love my mom so much. She is truly my best friend. She is the most non-judgemental person I know. She always sees the good in anyone. When she was diagnosed with cancer, she took the news well. She was so strong. When she found out she needed chemo, the cancer became a reality to us all. Slowly my mom transformed into someone unfamiliar, she was so fragile, so sick, she was getting darker, her hair was coming out, yet she never COMPLAINED. She took it like a champ. One day I asked her "Mom, how do you do it? Where do you draw your strength". She said "I want to live, I want to be with my children, I want to be with my grandchildren, my family and this brief bout of sickness means nothing if I can continue on knowing I will be here to see my grandson graduate, or watch you dance, or hear your brothers sing his stupid songs, or listen to your father rant, or to taste your sisters cooking, all of this chemo is worth while.......I balled! She did it for us! Without one single complaint! I am happy to say my mom is CANCER FREE! PRAISE THE LORD! and I dance with her all the time...I finally taught her how to do the Beyonce Booty Bounce(uh oh uh oh uh uh a oh).....lolDana