Never give up

Once our minds are ‘tattooed’ with negative thinking,
our chances for long-term success diminish.
- John C. Maxwell

My life has been quite eventful this past year. Two days after being appointed to a leadership team to plan a $2 million fund-raising campaign, I lost my job. A few days later, I found out my teenage daughter was pregnant. I never saw it coming. I lost my home. Things went down from there.


You can always count on family


Over the months, I endured family insults that I was a bad mother. Relatives not only slung mud at my daughter, they slung mud at me. That, in and of itself, was hurtful. The fact that I was unemployed and struggling to keep everything together made life even more challenging. I had moments of total exhaustion - physically and mentally.

Nevertheless, I never gave up. I made sure my daughter got good medical treatment. She stayed in school and continued to excel. We had some very hard times, but we met the challenge head on.

I lost my home shortly after the baby was born. But nothing could take away my joy at the birth of my grandson, who is a gorgeous and happy baby. He looks like his mom and has her charm. Like his mom, he lights up a room with his presence. I am so proud of the kids.


The good news is . . .


My daughter is back in school. Her grades are wonderful. She’s in honors classes in the fall. She has her whole life ahead of her. I want her to remain focused on her goals. Everyone makes mistakes. The mark of maturity is when you can rise above them and keep going.

Our little family is still moving from place to place because I’m still looking for a full-time job. We’ve gotten very little help from family. But that was no surprise. Our faith keeps us going. We also get support from a small cadre of wonderful friends. Never underestimate the power of God and the kindness of people - some of whom you’ve never met.

My daughter and I will be successful because we refuse to drown in negative thinking. Sure, we get discouraged at times. But we refuse to be destroyed.

The great thing about life is that with each day, you get the opportunity to begin again.


tags: life, work, friends, perseverance, naomi-usa, the journey to naomi