I am a firm believer in everything happens for a reason. In regards to my personal life, I know that everything always happens for my greater good. However, when I hit a road block, I do not always greet it with open arms and kumbaya. I am not in a kumbaya mood at this very moment. I was cool with the car breaking down and not being able to carry on. But the mounting costs for this and that since then is driving me bonkers. My cell phone is inadequate and I am having to upgrade today. Now, my camera decides it doesn’t want to work, and I am having to buy another one. Problem is I have no more money. I have already given everything that I had.

My mom has given everything that she could to supply me with food over these past two weeks, not to mention the past two years that she’s taken care of me while I completed grad school. Because my mom has spent all her money on me, my brother had to buy her a battery. My other brother is helping her buy the alternator, but I cannot contribute one cent. He is also having to help me buy the new phone and now a new camera. After I broke down at the realization that my camera was shot, he just kept telling me “it’s okay. Don’t worry. We’ll get you a new one.”

He was just so supportive and reassuring, but it’s just too much sometimes. Too much.

Sure, it’s all for the best. I will have the equipment I need to capture the stories with clarity, etc. My camera is 4 years old, but it still got the job done. The new camera that I will buy is half the cost as my old one with double the features and quality.

I think my ego is causing my frustration more than anything. For 33 of my 35 years on this earth, I have been super independent I-can-do-it-all-by-myself. In the past, I hated the notion of not being able to take care of myself. I hated the notion of not being able to handle everything on my own. However, the past two years that I have had to rely on my mother and brother have been very humbling. Without that experience, I don’t think that I would have even been able to found the Coalition and invite others in to help me realize the vision that God has given me. I also would not be able to launch and complete this whole campaign in celebration of strong families had I not realized the strength and accepted the comfort of my own.

I know that when I step back and look at how this project started, I will see the beauty of it. My whole family has rallied around to help me get going. Yes, they have questioned the methods J but never the motive. Most important, when I needed help the most to accomplish something that means the world to me, they stepped right in and filled the gaps.

So, this is for my family.