Resiliency comes from love. Both resiliency and love enable a child to say no to drugs.
Every child can say be strong enough to say no to drugs.
Even though I grew up in a dysfunctional home, I still said no to drugs. At home, I often hid in a small storage space at the back of my closet because the loud arguing made me afraid. I spent so much time in that storage space that I taught myself to read while sitting in there by age three and a half.
But some days I went to Grandma’s home.
As soon as my Mother walked out the door, I would rest on my Grandmother’s couch and tell her all about how I was feeling. She would massage my feet until I fell asleep, and then she snuggled me while I slept. I woke up in her arms feeling safe and loved.
My Grandmother taught me to be strong. She gave me advice about how I could help myself, prayed with me, and gave me a reason to keep on living.
On prom night, my peers passed a joint around. I said no. They laughed at me and teased me, but I did not care what they thought about me. I only cared about what my Grandmother thought of me.
In college my peers again tried to tempt me to take drugs and I still said no. I could not disappoint my Grandmother.
After college, life got even harder. My husband abused me every day. Emotionally, physically, and mentally. There were days I wanted to give up and die. I never gave up. Again, I remembered my grandmother and the gift she had given me: resiliency.
My grandmother gave me strength, belief in myself.
Because of her, I know I am a special person and I know I can survive any challenge life throws at me. My grandmother still loves me even though she died many years ago.
I said no to drugs because I could not disappoint my grandmother. I survived many extreme challenges because I knew she loved me.
Give a child a future. Show him unconditional love and support. Teach him to believe in himself. The child will always do his best because of you.
You can change the world by keeping children off drugs!
Enable a child to soar like an eagle above life’s many storms. Give him lots of love!
Let the encouraging words in these near a river posts help you
soar like an eagle above life’s storms.
About violence, guns, and drugs…
Our crazy world needs this very very badly…
Play the game of life as though you are on the bench!
Do you know someone who suffers from the holiday blues?
You are a testimony to standing firm in standing against the dregs of drugs. No doubt, even though you was probably not aware of it at the time, but I am sure that others gained strength from your strong stand against drugs to be able to do the same in their lives.
Good stuff