Determination has gotten me so far in my life. Over the years of working with EMS, and the sheriff office I have seen the bad, heard mother’s cry over the death of a child, and have seen things that will never leave your mind. This is where me telling my kids to be truthful, loyal, honest, and righteous come in. I want my kids to experience life in a great way, but I also want them to know the dangers out there. I am very honest about life with my kids. I feel as though if you sugar coat it, the harsh reality will be too much for them. Unfortunately I have seen what being dishonest can do to a person. Honesty will get you so far in life. The flip side of that is a place you don’t want to be. I want my kids to know that honesty is the best policy, because when no one believes you, it can make for a hard life. I want my kids to be loyal to themselves and to others. Loyalty shows people so much just about you. I t shows your dedication to other people. I shows that no matter the situation you will always be true to others. That is an important key to a successful life.

      I find myself telling my kids every day, to not think so negative. I see others who always think negatively about everything. They are the most miserable people. I have had to overcome so much in my life. If i only focused on all the bad things, then I feel as though I would never make for good company. If people woke every day and said " okay world, I know you are going to be rough today, but I will overcome your obstacles. I will figure out a way to stay focused and on the right path". Think about how everyones reaction to everyday life would be. I want my kids to see that no matter how hard life may seem, never lose the focus on what matters. If we only focus on what horrible events, or obstacles we are going to face, will we never get passed them. I believe in fighting through life. For standing your ground and not being a doormat for others.

     We all build our own walls. Why do we do this? I know I have built walls because of past relationships. My wall that I am slowly knocking back down is trust of others. I have also built this wall of not letting people in to help. I am realizing that asking for help doesn't make you needy, it makes you human. I have spent so many years doing everything. But I have found that it breaks you down, not just physically, but mentally as well. I have had great progress in knocking this wall down. We all need to only build walls that protect us, not shut us out. It has taken me almost 37 years to figure this out.

I also want my kids to know that easy isn't always right. I feverything we did was easy, what did we learn? We can't go through life with out complications, burdens, mountains to climb, and thinking that we will always get the right answers to everything. We would never learn anything if life was easy. We learn from our mistakes. Failure is only failure, when we have learned nothing and it hasn't moved you forward. I have said in the past "  For the paths that I have taken, have not been the smoothest, yet through all the roughness, has showed me the path to happiness. Living makes you stronger..only if you let it".