From Uncertainty to Victory!

The Beginning:

Lets begin in 3, 2, 1… in the spring of 1993 is where it all had begun. I imagine that it was a rainy day with just a hint of sun. I was catapulted through the womb of my mother, then before I knew it I was caught between a lash and a gun. According to statistics and probabilities, not speaking physically, but emotionally I was scarred from the start, wounded, marked and it pierced through the heart. My grand entrance into this three dimensional plane of existence was doomed from the start. Like so many, I was unplanned, but there was still a plan, even though I did not enter this world under the best circumstances.

My mother unexpectedly inherited baby number five from a father who was never a father at all. Was she really ready for another pregnancy? Undoubtedly, her addiction to drugs and the streets left me dangling from a cord of rejection, because she was not present. I soon became the responsibility of an older, but underage sibling; she was a 9 year-old at the time and my only protection.

It all took place in Oakland, during the climax of the crack epidemic that left many black and brown families broken in a way that still has not fully mended. Drugs and violence ravished our communities and guns were not the only thing smoking.

In 1995, I was hospitalized. I was too young to even realize that I was battling for my life, but yet I was. I had a severe case of pneumonia that was discovered when my maternal grandmother took me to the hospital for a physical. Eventually, it all hit the fan, the neighbor called child protective services and my siblings and I were snatched away from our home. Everything changed. My siblings and I were thrown into the foster care system and remained there for several months. What were the odds?

The Woman who has Shaped and Inspired Me (Her background, our relationship):

My maternal grandmother has a name, Gloria Austin. She came to the rescue and my life has never been the same. Bearing our pain, she took my siblings and I in and raised us as her own. I was nearly two at the time when her home became my home. Her act of selflessness changed the destiny of a person who can change a generation. Oftentimes our grandparents become our little angels on earth. They feed us, protect us, instill good values into us and even mother and father us when the circumstances call for it.

My grandmother, an Oakland native, has influenced me in countless ways. She grew up during the Civil Rights era and is the epitome of my inspiration. She is the reason why I work hard and my utmost goal is to buy her a house. She is the perfect combination of faith, fire and grace. So yes she believes all things are possible, will give you a piece of her mind, but is always standing there with open arms waiting to receive you.

Growing up she always taught me to believe in myself. She emphasized the importance of a good education, because she knew once I achieved that everything else will fall into its respective place. I took her advice and I cannot complain. She not only pushed me to make decisions that will benefit my life in the long run, but she has become the driving force of why I desire to change the lives of others. I plan to do that through writing, speaking and teaching. I must find a way to give a piece of the gift to others that she has freely given to me. That gift came in the form of love, hope and success. My utmost objective is to inspire, to impact and make a real difference in the lives of others using proven spiritual and practical laws of success as the framework. Because of her, I want to love others, instill hope and equip them with the tools to live a happy and prosperous life, regardless of where they come from.

What I admire about her:

One of the major things that I admire about my grandmother is her power to believe all things are possible. Through her faith she has overcome a lot of obstacles in her life. She triumphed in the face of racial oppression. She was often the first black woman to be employed at her place of business. She triumphed in the face of social adversity. Many people in her community criticized her because she married and had two children by the tender age of 17. She triumphed in the face of economic oppression. She grew up in abated poverty, the great grandchild of former slaves, but yet and still she rose to the top of the economic ladder. She soon became the breadwinner in the family and took care of those around her. Her faith was integral to her success, because when the going got hard, she knew that she could still make it through.

Additionally, she taught each of my siblings and I about the power of belief. Through her, we received the recipe for our own power to believe. She leads by example and hopes that each of us live a honorable and powerful life. I remember the countless times when she believed my drug-addicted mother would become sober. She never stopped believing in her. My grandmother was always there for my mother when she needed anything, whether that was a place to stay or food to eat. Many years have passed and my mother has been clean from drugs for 18 years. I credit my grandmother's powerful ability to believe all things are possible.

How I am a different person today because of her:

Everything I am today is a result of her love, sacrifice and patience. I am the first person in the family to obtain a degree from a four-year university. I currently have a secure job within the government sector, but have larger dreams of changing a generation. The dreams that I have for my future are grand, but I do not see them as just dreams, I see them as visions of my future. I see myself impacting thousands of individuals through my authorship and speaking engagements. In divine time, I deeply know that one day I will find myself doing just that. One day I will make my grandmother proud.

Conclusion:

It is women like my grandmother who raise a generation of women who can transform a generation of women. Everything that the best of us become is because we had a strong foundation to stand upon. That foundation was created through the blood, sweat and tears of those who came before us. Now our daughters will have an even stronger foundation to stand upon. Women are integral to the future success of this nation and to the entire world. This generation of women is the manifestation of our foremothers’ dreams. We have the power to shape our great granddaughters’ lives by the life we live today.

I left a realm spiritual indeed, to be transformed and encased into a physical seed in 1993. The beginning was shaky, but there was still a plan. Because of my grandmother, I went from uncertainty to victory. So yes, she inspires me.