SELF ESTEEM, NEVER ENOUGH..

EARLY THIS MORNING I AM UP.

AS I SURF THE NET I COME ACROSS THIS QUOTE.

I DON'T KNOW WHO ALVIN PRICE IS,

BUT I HAVE FIRST HAND KNOWLEDGE OF HOW

THIS SENTENCE, THE STATEMENT WORKS.

  I AM SURE I MAY HAVE BLOGGED THIS STORY 

BEFORE OVER THE MANY YEARS OF WRITING

YET IT IS STILL WONDERFUL ENOUGH TO REPEAT.

HAVING BEEN A CHILD WITH CANCER,

BEFORE INTERNET, FACEBOOK, BEFORE MAKE A WISH,

I WAS TEASED BECAUSE OF MY HAIR.

FIRST I WAS BALD, THEN MY HAIR GREW IN 

STRINGY AND CURLY, UG U LEE!

I WAS TEASED BUT I NEVER ONCE, LET

THOSE PEERS, EVEN SOME FRIENDS SEE ME CRY.

I WAS YOUNG, FIRST, SECOND, THIRD GRADES.

I LAUGHED ALONG WITH THEM BUT INSIDE,

I WAS DYING, SO EMBARRASSED.

AS I WALKED FROM THE BUS DOWN DURSETTE STREET,

I STILL HELD IN MY TEARS.

I WOULD THEN WALK INTO MY BIG, OLD HOME

AND THERE MY DADDY SAT, EITHER MAKING

A CAST NET THAT HE MADE FROM SCRATCH,

OR COOKING US A WONDERFUL MEAL, ALSO

FROM SCRATCH. 

THEN, THEN I WOULD LET MY TEARS FALL.

MY DADDY WAS NOT ONE TO CODDLE OR HOLD CLOSE

TO HIS HEART WHEN ONE OF HIS LITTLE GIRLS WERE SAD.

NO INSTEAD, HE GAVE WORDS OF WISDOM THAT MAY

HAVE BEEN TOO DEEP FOR MOST ELEMENTARY CHILDREN.

I GOT IT, I UNDERSTOOD HIS MESSAGE,

" LILLY, IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT THE WORLD

OUT THERE THINGS OF YOU, WHEN YOU ENTER THIS

HOUSE YOU ARE LOVED."

THAT ONE GESTURE OF LOVE GOT ME THROUGH MANY 

HARD TIMES IN MY LIFE AS I KNEW IT WAS TRUE.

NOT ONE PERSON IN THAT HOME DID NOT

LOVE ME OR HAVE MY BACK.

IT IS SAID THAT FOR EVERY NEGATIVE THING YOU TELL

A CHILD, IT TAKE A THOUSAND POSITIVE ONES

TO TURN THAT BELIEVE AROUND"

MY DADDY, HE DIDN'T KNOW THAT, HE JUST

KNEW THAT HIS BABY GIRL WAS HURTING AND HE HAD

TO SAY SOMETHING. 

I STILL CHALK UP MY INDEPENDENCE ON THAT ONE STATEMENT.

I HAVE MORE SELF ESTEEM THAN MOST AND AGAIN,

I AM SURE IT WAS THE COMBINATION OF MANY THINGS

IN MY LIFE THAT GAVE ME THAT,

BUT MY DADDY, WELL HIS STATEMENT HAS NEVER, EVER

LEFT MY MIND OR HEART.