In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Proud.”

I try to say it as much as possible when it is deserved.  My children are grown, but they still want to hear that their mother is proud of them.  Just yesterday I had an opportunity to do that.  My daughter, Crystal, called me after taking her test for teaching after finishing all of her book studies and told me that she passed!  Of course, anyone would be proud of their child for that accomplishment.  But for this sweet  girl it is an amazing feat.  She has learning disabilities for which she was in special classes for from first to sixth grades.  Her special education teacher was Mrs. Hubble and she was crystal’s personal angel.  There probably isn’t a day that goes by without her thinking about that sweet, wonderful teacher.

The story really begins when my husband decided to go to school for welding.  He had severe learning disabilities and believed that would never be in the cards for him.  We had worked really hard together in the beginning of our marriage to help him.  First, I helped him learn how to read (how do people graduate without knowing how to read?)  We would sit on the couch and read the King James version of the bible.  What was I thinking?  But the Lord blessed us and he did it.  I happened to be a school junky.  So he thought he would try it,  thinking that he could make more money.  My children watched him begin with welding classes to english, math, history  and english as a second language so he could get all the basics.  Then he went into business classes, and later it was international business.  He was kindly awarded his degree posthumously.

I am sure that Crystal never thought that she could go to college and maintain good enough grades to deserve a degree.  But, she told me a story not too long ago about why she did go back to school.  Yes.  Of course, her father did inspire her, but there was another reason.  She had read on the internet about a girl around her age that had a similar story and how she had overcome so much and was doing great in college.  She had even been on the Dean’s list and now she was reaching for the president’s list.  Crystal had never heard of the president’s list before, but after that uplifting and inspiring article she was ready to give it a try.

Now, I am so extremely proud of my lovely daughter, Crystal, who not only has been on the president’s list for the past three semesters, but will graduate Summa Cum Laude.