Hi y'all.  I grew up in a small cotton town in the Mississippi Delta.  I came from a very loving family that I always felt was what all kids had.  My parents didn't go around saying "I love you" they used actions not words.  I didn't have a lot of family in Greenwood, Ms but I was lucky enough to have my Grandmother and Granddaddy Tucker.  I grew up with stories from my granddaddy about his wild adventures in Texas and Mexico as a cowboy.  Stories about WWI and his homelife with a family that owned a school for girls.  My grandmother was the creative one.  She went from a small MS town to be one of the first women to own a car, have her own career and raise a family during the depression.  She went to college at what is now known as Mississippi University for Women.  She too had many adventures.  I could and will someday write a book about them.  They didn't give me a lot of things -only the best for me-theirselves.   One of the most infuential people in my life was my Grandmaw Drake and I only got to see her two weeks a year.  What I saw was a very strong Christian lady raising three little grandchildren after they lost their mother.  I saw her reading her Bible sitting in a quiet spot in her home.  I saw her up at the crack of dawn cooking food for family picnics.  Even though my parents probably thought those two weeks were hectic with 7 kids and 4 adults in one house they were by far two weeks that helped mold a child's life. 

I grew up believing all kids were like me, loved and protected.  I guess I really grew up when I saw the other side.  I worked for the  County Health Dept.  I started noticing that parents shouted at their kids and actually hit them in public.  I heard things like " you studid kid" and "shut up".  I saw the hurt on those little faces and it made me hurt for them.  I volunteered at a home for abused children and couldn't take it.  They didn't need me because I cried and the kids needed someone strong.  My husband and I moved to Gulfport, MS where I became a Mortgage Banker.  Images of hurting kids stayed in my mind.  It didn't help that you see kids being mistreated and ignored in public!  Good heavens what happened to them at home!  One day I woke up and decided I just didn't like mortgage banking and I tried a couple of other types of jobs.  We moved again. This time to Meridian, Ms.   Now I work on eBay and hope to incorporate my love for children with a paying job.  All kids need to feel special.  We make deposits everyday into our childrens memory banks.  Let's make them the best that is possible.