Georgia, teaching them to be kind and to do the right thing even when no one is watching. I am forever grateful for my mother’s belief in me. She lifted me up through life’s difficult times and showed me, through her own life, what it means to be strong, compassionate, and fearless. Her influence is woven into every part of my journey, and I hope to make her as proud of me as I am of her.
Jocelyn Arndt TP in the USA
High school. The time in one’s life that is considered the most carefree and most fun. A time when one’s character can be built the most. When I went through high school in 1995, I was already a mother of two boys. I was working a full-time job, going to school full-time, and raising two beautiful baby boys. Needless to say, I was not your typical high schooler. While my friends were cheering at the Friday night football
game, I was working or taking care of my boys. I WOULD NOT CHANGE IT FOR THE WORLD.
I made it through high school. I kept my grades up and graduated with my class. My boys, at the time of my graduation, were one and two years old. While the rest of my friends were packing for college, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do from there. I continued to work through the summer and then into the following year, but I knew in my head that I did not want to end up at my current job (trailer manufacturer) for the rest of my life. I wanted to provide a life for my children where they did not have to struggle but instead focus on school and on being a kid/young adult. I started to get in some trouble during this timeframe, and then I finally said, “Enough is enough,” and I joined the US Army. This was the only way to ensure that my boys would be proud of their mother and for me to secure a future for them. When I joined the military as a single mother, you could not bring your children with you. Thankfully, my mother was able to take over as their caregiver while I completed my four years in the military. Though being away from my boys was very difficult, I did everything with 100% commit - ment, and I succeeded at being a soldier. I learned lifelong lessons, I was able to take college classes, and I met several people that I now consider family along the way. When I returned home from the military, I was able to get pretty much any job that I wanted. My first job straight out was working at Micron
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SOURCE OF INSPIRATION
LETTERS TO MOTHERS
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