Tag Archives: family

Dignity: What is Success?

The thing that was so amazing about my mother is that she always taught us to believe that we could be successful if we truly wanted to be. She didn’t measure success by how much money we would have but success in the kind of men we could be. I didn’t really understand that as a young child. We didn’t have much and I sawContinue reading “Dignity: What is Success?”

Dignity: Happy Father’s Day: Open Letter to my Children

The running joke in my house is that the unofficial name for Father’s Day is National Socks, Ties, and Underwear Day, because that is what we get for fathers. You know it is true. Go into any Walmart or Target on the Saturday before Father’s Day and the long line of mothers and children with their carts fullContinue reading “Dignity: Happy Father’s Day: Open Letter to my Children”

Dignity: My Journal of My Journey 

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  “Any man or institution that tries to rob me of my dignity will lose.” Nelson Mandela  IContinue reading “Dignity: My Journal of My Journey “

Dignity: Through Words and Actions

Things have changed so much from when I was a child growing up in the late sixties into the seventies. Bullying meant something different back then. The bigger kids would take the smaller kids for lunch money or make fun of someone in class because they were short, tall, or overweight. I remember when IContinue reading “Dignity: Through Words and Actions”

Dignity: Happy Birthday to Me  

Tomorrow (May 2) I will celebrate sixty-two years on this earth. When my birthday falls on a Saturday it has special meaning because I was born on a Saturday back in 1964. When I tell people how old I am, I usually get two responses. The first is “Really, I thought you were in your forties.” or “You’reContinue reading “Dignity: Happy Birthday to Me  “

Dignity: Scituate Part Four: My Second Family 

As part of our Scituate experience, we had a host family. These families would open their homes to us students from Boston in case we get stranded because of weather or if we have events and we needed to stay overnight. I was in chorus for four years and in marching band for three years, so I had eventsContinue reading “Dignity: Scituate Part Four: My Second Family “

Dignity: Scituate, The Early Years: Culture Shock Part Three Chapter 2 

Dear younger meWhere do I startIf I could tell you everything that I have learned so farThen you could beOne step aheadOf all the painful memories still running through my headI wonder how much different things would beDear younger me – MercyMe I have thought about wanting to go back in time and talking toContinue reading “Dignity: Scituate, The Early Years: Culture Shock Part Three Chapter 2 “

Dignity: Scituate, The Early Years Part Three, Chapter One

My journey from grades six to eight in Scituate, Massachusetts was both eye-opening and challenging. I was only twelve years old, so I didn’t understand the culture change I was going to experience in those first three years. As I look back, I now know how those years shaped my life not just in myContinue reading “Dignity: Scituate, The Early Years Part Three, Chapter One”

Dignity: All Hail the Queen: Part 2

“Most mothers are instinctive philosophers.” Harriet Beecher Stowe  I love this quote because it defines mothers as more than just care providers. They are the very first leaders, teachers, coaches, and strategists their children will meet. At least that’s how I saw my mother, Phyllis Redd King. I tell everyone that she is the smartest person I know. She was able to guide and navigate herContinue reading “Dignity: All Hail the Queen: Part 2”