Thanks for Family

      Today, I think it is only fitting that my blog focuses on family.  November is the month of giving thanks and I would like to thank my family; without them, there would be no me! Often more times than not, when one thinks about family, they think about blood relatives.  When I think about family, I think about people who have come into my life and have made a difference.  I regard them as family because they cared enough about me to try and steer me in the right directions.
    
     My family is from rural Georgetown, Georgia and it is one of the poorest counties in Georgia.  I am not ashamed to say that I am one generation from an outhouse and I say this because my family has had to struggle and sacrifice on many occasions to get the things that they needed.  It hasn't been easy but I am glad to say that my family has battled and conquered the majority of the obstacles that were placed before them. My family is built on persistence, perseverance, and determination!

     One obstacle that my mother, Carrie, had to face and endure was integration.  My mother was the first Black to graduate from Georgetown High School.  For 3 years she endured the name calling but it did not deter her from her goal of graduating.  I applaud my mom because is my strength.  The fight that she possesses has been passed down to me and I am thankful for that.

     Family means the most to me!  I am thankful for everyone that is from the union of Ephraim Griggs and Lizzie Shepard!  My great-grandfather fathered 29 children by his two wives and had 2 other children, making the total 31! 
    
     Take this Thanksgiving and reflect on your family, find out the history of your family, talk about the struggles that they faced and how they overcame.  It is important to know where you came from so that you better plan where you are going!  Be proud of yourself and your family.

Geneise

My Place and My Mission

     The Purpose Driven Life written by Rick Warren, it a great place to begin in determining what you were placed here on earth to do.  I am a firm believer that each person has their own talent and mission in life.  Currently, I am struggling with finding my place and my mission.  Although, that should be the last thing that I am doing because I put my ideas on paper 4 years ago. 

     I am originally from a small rural town in Georgia and my vision has always been to give back to the community from which I came.  I want to reach back and assist as many people as I possibly can in reaching their goals or just connecting them with resources and information that will make their lives easier.  I want to help our youth create and execute a successful plan for their futures.

     For a number of years, I have had a vision to bring my family and friends together to create a business that we can build from the ground up.  Each one of us are at a point in our lives where we would like to venture out and try something new.  We have different skills, interests, and abilities.  Why not think outside the box? 

     Today, my co-worker, told me that if my vision is one that is near and dear to my heart and if God keeps bringing it to the forefront, then it is time that I take that vision, create a plan, and put it into action.  The following poem is one of my favorites and will be the catalyst to my family's success.

The Road Not Taken

By Robert Frost 1874–1963 Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.