Oct 2, 2023
Who was the first person who ever believed in you?
I grew up in the shadow of my genius older sister. She was a year ahead of me in school, and I ended up with many of the same teachers. Comparisons were inevitable. Although I was a good student, I was a different person. My mother saved many of my report cards, and many say the same thing. “P.J. does not live up to her potential.”
The truth is, I was an odd mix of personalities. Part bookworm, part outdoorsman, part creative, part scientist. It wasn’t until I was middle-aged that I was I realized I was a computer geek. (Personal computers didn’t exist when I was a child. Does that mean I was born too soon?)
Back to the original train of thought. Once I got to high school, I had to prove myself to a whole new batch of teachers. Even though many of them had taught my sister, and a few of them my older brothers, they seemed more willing to view me as an individual. I flourished in that atmosphere.
I still disappointed my teachers. They thought that with my grades and the classes I took, I should aim for a career in one of the sciences. Physics, to be precise. But I had no desire to pursue that field. Of course, the world of computers still existed on only punch cards, and no one ever suggested that might be a potential career to pursue.
But several of the teachers took an interest in helping me find myself. I should mention this was a Catholic school, with both priests and nuns on the faculty. Unlike the stereotypes, the nuns were kind and caring. Several of them took me under their wings. The two most notable were Sister Lois Marie and Sister Mary Andrew. Sister Lois guided my love of the English language, and Sister Mary Andrew shepherded me through my math courses. Both nurtured my love of learning and went beyond their job duties to guide my personal growth.
I think they would have been surprised at how things turned out for me. Retired as a computer server administrator (computer geek) with nearly a dozen published books (indie author). They would have approved at the mix of my creative and my mathematical sides, working in a field that didn’t exist when they knew me, and publishing books in a way that also didn’t exist back then.
In my WIP, I’m writing a scene that may be a tribute to them. Well, not exactly them, but to the love and kindness they showed me and many others. Thanks, Sisters!
Who believed in our other authors? Follow the links below to find out.
Oct 2, 2023
Who was the first person who ever believed in you?
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.