This week I watched a Japanese movie on Netflix called Sweet Bean.
If you haven't seen it and like foreign films, it is worth watching.
A quote from the movie:
"I believe that everything in this world has a story to tell.
We try to live our lives beyond reproach but sometimes we are
crushed by the ignorance of the world.
We are trying to tell you a story!"
This hit me right in my heart, as my word for this year is STORY.
I often don't tell my story.
You know I am a tea lady.
You know I love the outdoors, flowers, and gardens.
But you don't know and sometimes my own family doesn't know
because I don't often share the negative side of me or my story:
1. At two years old my mother, my unborn sister, and I were deserted by my father.
He didn't pay child support. My grandfather took us into his home for awhile.
2. We were on welfare for several years until my mother was able
to be trained to do office work.
3. We ate moldy food donated by government surplus.
4. At one time our refrigerator door fell off and we had to prop it up with a chair
until someone gave us another used refrigerator.
5. Our power was about to be turned off because we couldn't pay for the power
bill, but someone in our church paid the bill and said to pay it forward,
which we did.
6. A Christmas tree lot person gave me the best tree on the lot because they knew
I was paying with my babysitting money.
7. We were ridiculed because we didn't look poor when a family thought they
were visiting a poor family at Christmas to bring gifts.
My mother believed in keeping a spotless home and though we had few clothes (all
hand me downs) they were kept clean too.
8. We lived in a one bedroom tiny house and so my mom didn't have a bedroom.
9. When my mom got down, we stopped to have a cup of tea with pinkie's up.
10. My mom's family called her the "stupid one".
11. At the age of 12 I started buying my own clothes or making them
with my babysitting money.
12. We didn't have a television or a car, until at the age of 17 a family
in our church gave us an old car and taught my mother how to drive.
After that I was able to learn too.
Until then we walked, took public transportation, rode my bike and depended
on others to drive us. The bike I bought at a junk store and spray painted.
13. At 40 years old I was finally able to get a college degree and
make a decent income, for this I am very proud.
So tell me your story, for now you know many of mine.
Today I feel like a privileged woman with a story to tell,
a story of growth, learning, and growing in the knowledge
that I was most loved by my family and friends.
For that I am a lucky lady.
