My mommy (I call her "Maman", which is the way you say "mommy" in French) was born in Breaux Bridge, in the state of Louisiana, 35 years ago. She was born the 5th of 5 children (all girls), and she happened to be born with dwarfism, meaning that she would probably always be shorter than a lot of people.
She was a very happy child, I am told, and she was really pretty. She still has the thick head of black hair that cascades down her back like a dark, sleek waterfall, and she has big, bright-black eyes that have a tendency to sparkle; and she has dark tan skin that has a tendency to stay dark all year long (in the summer it only gets darker!). She is about the prettiest person I have ever seen (and I am not prejudiced, mind you!!!). She is, however, quite short, being just under 4 feet, 8 inches tall; and she is quite heavy in build. She is rather well endowed, and she has big hips.(She kind of resembles a dark version of Dolly Parton in that aspect!)
Mommy grew up speaking both in the way of French and English; she spoke French at home, but when in school or out in public she spoke Englilsh. Still, people knew from hearing her speak that she was a Cajun, and she was often picked on by the white kids in her class. She was very active, and she loved playing chasing games with her friends. That was, until she fell out of a tree and severely injured her back when she was just 9 years old.
Then she couldn't run around like she used to. For a year or so after the accident she had to use crutches and wear leg braces.
To this day, mommy still has problems with her back. She is often in a lot of pain, and now that arthritis and sciatic nerve pain has settled in her back she has had to go on some form of disability. She still works at her job as a nurse at a local hospital, but she can't do the emergency room work anymore or do a lot of the heavier lifting. Instead she does admissions work, and she takes medical histories from the newest admissions to the hospital; and she also takes care of the schedules of the other nurses under her, and she also still cares for the patients themselves. She does use a cane for walking, but she refuses to let her problems stop her. My mommy has always had something of a stubborn streak in her.
But back to her childhood back in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana: mommy loved to catch crawfish in the creek, and she loved going to the French dances around her hometown each and every weekend. She also loved music, and one of her uncles taught her how to play the steel guitar. She was musically gifted, and she enjoyed playing for her folks or for other people who would listen to her. She also loved to cook, and she also loved spending time with her four older sisters, Arizona, Georgia, Florida, and Indiana. (Note how the girls were named after states. It was their mama's idea!!)
Mommy especially enjoyed going to the Cajun Mardi Gras in nearby Lafayette, and she also enjoyed going to the annual Crawfish Festival in the village where she lived. Breaux Bridge is a small town as it is, with under 5,000 people (according to the latest census count), but in May, they hold a huge festival honoring the crawfish; and over 25,000 hungry, crawfish-mad people descend on this little town. It was started way back in 1959 (ten years prior to mommy's being born), and each and every year it just gets bigger and better. (She still goes every year, and she takes all of us with her. It is something of a family thing in our family to go to the Crawfish Festival.) She enjoys the festival atmosphere, and she enjoys the Cajun music and the tons of Cajun food.
We do, too, by the way.
Like many kids in the region mommy enjoyed catching crawfish in the bayou, eating foods like gumbo or etouffee' or jambalaya, going to several of the bigger festivals in the area or going to the Cajun dance halls each and every Saturday night; and she also loved going to church on Sunday mornings (although half the time she was quite sleepy, thanks to the dances the night before). She grew to appreciate nature and life in general, and she grew to appreciate her Cajun French heritage and Louisiana home. She learned the ways of her people, and she wanted to pass it on to her kids (in which she has, in a lot of ways).
Colorful interactive book for teaching children the ABC's using God’s creation of the animal kingdom and featuring some of His most exotic creature. More importantly the book segues into the very special love God has for children.
Meet Girdy, a delightfully spooky witch with green stringy hair, a bumpy nose, and a knack for mischief! Alongside her eerie but lovable family—Momma Mummy, Daddy Gargoyle, and her mischievous brother Goblin—Girdy embraces her wonderfully weird world
When vacationing at a mysterious Maine lighthouse, ten-year-old Dylan befriends a ghostly lighthouse keeper who must protect Dylan from danger after he learns a very big secret.
