This is something that Julee wrote for school. I would have never seen it except she emailed me and asked me to proofread it for her. It's not long but by the time I got to the end, all I could think is "Wow....."
Isn't she amazing?
Power of Thought
by
Julee Dykes
I believe in the influence of family.
I was
born with a cleft palate. Being born with this deformity meant several surgeries
throughout my life to correct this. Whether my family taught me this because of
the cleft or because they are good people I don’t know but they always taught
me to believe in myself. They always said to love myself because I was
beautiful. They showed me that I didn’t need others approval or even their
attention. With these thoughts subconsciously engrained in my brain I was
headstrong and unafraid.
Needing multiple surgeries, I
had my third one by the time I was five. At that time I was acting badly to the
meds that knocked me out and was kicking and screaming. My mother and
grandfather had to hold me down to make sure I didn’t hurt myself or someone
else. I am thankful they loved me so much.
I
automatically wanted to go out after my surgery. It didn’t matter to me that I
had tons of bandages, or the fact I was bloody and puffy. My mom told me that
people would think I was weird. I didn’t mind. I am thankful that my family
taught me that the only person that could really affect me was me.
Four
years later when I moved to New York I was made fun of. People called me names
I had never heard of and it really hurt my feelings. Thanks to what my family
taught me, I was able to
get through the hard times. Now I always believe in myself.
7 comments:
I learned very quickly while she was here visiting what an amazing young woman she is. I love that girl. What a great thing she wrote. I might have to steal it to post on my blog. I hope she can always have the perspective and attitude she has.
Julee is beautiful, always has been, inside and out! I'm so glad I got to know her when she was tiny and in my pre-school. My favorite memory is her singing, "Who let the dogs out, who, who, who, who!" Cracked me up every time! Keep thinking those positive thoughts about who you are Julee: a beautiful daughter of God!
Can't even imagine how proud you must feel to be her mom. What an awesome girl!
She is amazing ans so is her family!!!
Makes a mom/grandma tear up a bit - family is what it is all about!
This made me sad and so proud at the same time. After chatting with her on the ride to our place from the airport, and various other times during her stay, I'm not surprised to hear how strong and confident she is. That's definitely not something enough young women feel and it makes me very proud of her.
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