I Am Because of You

My parents are the reason why I am successful.

I remember growing up my mom reading to both me and my sister. And my sister is a pure genius and she was reading encyclopedias when she was in grade school. I was a little slower. So my mother would read the Little House on the Prairie books out loud. This had a dual purpose. Even though my sister was very gifted at reading, she’s very self-conscious about reading out loud, so much so that she would get nervous and stutter. My mother had mu sister read out loud in a relaxed setting to put her at ease, and it also fueled my passion for reading as well.

My mother wanted us to have a very extensive vocabulary, even as children. I remember being in the second or third grade and knowing the word oscillating. And knowing the difference between oscillating and osculating, which of course have two very different definitions. And I remember being taught that if you use foul language you suffer from “intellectual poverty.” And I remember learning the insult that if somebody keeps talking and saying ugly things, that they suffer from “uncontrollable defecation of the oral cavity.” This was all in the second grade or so.

And I remember my mom quizzing us on the definition of these words. Rita was 4 years older so she would also have to know the spelling. That fostered within me an eternal curiosity and Lust For Life, and yearning for words. I wanted to read and learn and see and stretch my imagination. I wanted to experience all the other worlds that were in all these books and I couldn’t wait.

After I started reading, I started writing on my own. The little gears were turning in my little brain and I couldn’t wait to create things just like I read. It never dawned on me that I couldn’t write a masterpiece Masterpiece just as amazing as Mark Twain. What a gift the naivete of being a child truly is.

My mother was also the grammar, punctuation natzi. Anything that I had to write in school, all the way up to up to my high school graduation, was checked by her. She would go through a meticulously check for grammar and sentence structure. While I never did get the spelling part of it, the writing part of it stuck with me. Because she was forever teaching us.

I remember her saying the reason why she was teaching us all of this was because no matter what we decided to we could go far if we knew how to speak and write well.

I credit my mother with the fact that I’m a writer.

My father taught me the importance of working hard, and having a good reputation. He taught me the importance of Integrity, honesty, morals, and character. These are words that are easy to find in the dictionary these days, but almost impossible to find in practice. Most people can tell you the definition of these words, but not many people know how to actually execute them.

My father also taught me that in order to build a business for yourself you have to work very hard at it. He taught me how to be passionate about what you do, and how to be truly dedicated to it. My father taught me that a man is only as good as his word, so if his word is no good then neither is he. My father taught me that a man’s handshake is his bond. He also taught me that actions speak louder than words, so don’t bother saying something until you’ve already done it.

I am everything I am because of my parents. They taught me about life, love, the pursuit of happiness, and how to live and function daily. I’m very blessed that the