Thursday, June 23, 2011

Friday & Da Count 55 -Da Kid

 FRIDAY 55

Great-great grandmother fed a large family
and any hungry soul who appeared
during the Depression.
Great grandmothers spent the war years 
raising young children alone.
Grandmother fed, clothed, and housed
her two children 
 though she was cheated of honestly earned pay.
Mother is proud of you, daughter,
as you prove you are of their strength.




DA COUNT

You already saw the picture on Monday of the sheer joy of graduation for Calypso.  You already know I am very proud of her.  This year, hard as it was really proved how much she has grown and matured.  Two years ago she would not have persevered through the trial.  Far smaller obstacles were a reason to give up in her mind.  There were many times before this year when I was concerned about how she would navigate the troubles life throws at us all when it was her turn to face them.  She really showed some maturity which gave me hope before she ever got sick a year ago but when the illness hit I was afraid she'd be overwhelmed and revert to her old ways.  Truthfully, I've seen adults cave under far less pressure than she had on her this year.  That's not to say there weren't some very dark days along the way when she came very close to completely giving up, not just on school but on everything...or that there aren't still some moments when doubt or worry creep into her mind now.

Recently, I overheard her telling someone that as bad as it has been if she had to redo this year she wouldn't opt to go without the trial because she herself can see the ways in which it has helped her grow as a person and develop character.  Heck, I'm still working on being able to say the same and really mean it (my head knows the truth of it, my heart is still catching up).

Anyway, she's proved she is part of the line of strong women our family produces.

21 comments:

G-Man said...

I always told you C was special.
She looks just like you!
Thanks for this lovely 55 too.
Thanks for supporting me Michelle, you are my oldest blog friend.
Thanks for playing, and have a Kick Ass Week-End

Brian Miller said...

nice. cool when we can see those glimpses in our children...smiles.

Margaret said...

Stong woman are a blessing. Sweet 55. And I am happy your daughter is doing so well.

Commander Zaius said...

You got to love when kids reach those milestones in life, although when my kids do it I feel old.

Steve Isaak said...

Solid piece.

Kat said...

Nothing better than a strong young lady. Love that. Good for her! And you! :)

Alice Audrey said...

As my mother said about life's travails, "you do what you have to."

silly rabbit said...

She is a very strong woman now... and I'd dare to say wiser than most graduates.
It is amazing how different a person is in 10th grade compared to 12th. Their bodies are changing from teen to mature and their brains turn from being one of the sheep into independent thinkers. Clearly she's ahead of her flock.

hedgewitch said...

As always, you provide such depth to your 55's with the personal trials and victories you recount. I congratulate you on Calypso's graduation despite what sounds like a very difficult ordeal, and yourself for providing her with the support and love to do it, just as the women in your 55 rose to the occasion.

Kavita said...

Aww.. that's wonderful!! And it's really amazing to see how kids take share genes with their grandparents..
LOVELY!

Belinda said...

Sincere congratulations on your daughter's graduation! It sounds like she showed incredible stick-to-it-ness despite big hurdles. I love this 55 -- a generation of strong women is lineage to be proud of.

Maude Lynn said...

I totally relate to this 55. Excellent.

Monkey Man said...

Fantastic.

Cricket said...

A great post and I certainly wish your daughter(s) the best in all things.

Most families produce strong women. It's up to us to make sure they're remembered, and respected for what they did and for who they were.

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

fun and sweet.
lovely 55.

Vinay Leo R. said...

Congratulations to her! :) Nicely done 55!

(M)ary said...

I can't imagine the stress you must have felt watching your daughter go thru such difficult times. No wonder Calypso is such a strong woman, she gets it from you!

lecram said...

Every reason for you to be proud of her. Not taking anything away from her... but you were an essential part in allowing and nurturing her growth.

Wonderful count, my friend. :)

Bijoux said...

I can't say I'd have that attitude about an illness. I wish her all the best, Lime. Did I miss it or have you shared her future plans?

Thank you also for your kind comments on my blog.

Dave said...

That's wonderful Michelle. Congratulations to her for achieving and to you as her mother! A brilliant effort and you both have every reason to be proud - Dave

Craig said...

You know, it's just amazing how persevering thru trials makes us stronger. Most of us really can endure more than we think we can, and once we're thru the trial, we can surprise even ourselves at how well we did. . .

You are justly proud of Calypso. Whatever she does from here, she can know, from her own lived experience, that what seem like catastrophes aren't necessarily. . .

Thanks for this.