Hello!! This is Kecia Marie speaking. I am 11 years old, almost, and I have been doing a lot of soul searching and thinking.
Now, I may not look like much--I am a typical child of African-American descent, with brown skin, dark brown eyes, and black hair that I usually wear in a ponytail or pigtails--, but I have a lot of opportunity, and I have many blessings in my life.
First and foremost, I am a Christian. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Saviour a little over a year ago, and ever since, He has blessed me abundantly. I have a remarkable family who loves and cherishes me, and I am gifted at singing, writing songs and poetry, and writing stories, just writing in general; and I do very well at school. (In a few weeks I will be in the 6th grade.) I have the assurance in knowing that I will be going to Heaven when I die or when Jesus returns, to take His Children home, to be with Him in His Kingdom forevermore.
I am also blessed because I have a little sister who was adopted along with me; we aren't separated; and she is the light of my life. Her name is LaGloria, and she is 6. She is the sweetest child, and she is as smart as a whip!! She is also good at doing double-dutch jump roping. And she loves to color and draw; she is quite the little artist. (I can't draw worth a darn!!)
I am also blessed because I have my health (as does my little sister), something quite a few of my adopted brothers and sisters do NOT have. Some of my brothers and sisters are in wheelchairs or use crutches in order to walk, and three are mentally handicapped BESIDES being physically handicapped. A few of the kids are hard-of-hearing, and one talks with his hands.
A few of my sisters are blind, and several of the kids have breathing problems because of allergies, asthma, or other respiratory problems. (They sometimes have to use oxygen.) One of my little brothers was burned in a fire and is now permanently facially disfigured and has other physical problems, and my youngest sister (she is 3 1/2) was born a little person and will probably never reach 4' in height when she becomes an adult.
I am blessed because my parents take the time to discipline me or my brothers and sisters whenever we act up; and they let us know that they love us. They take very good care of us, and they are cool parents. They love to do things with us, even though they are disabled themselves, and they don't let their disabilities stop them from doing what they choose. They are a real inspiration to all who meet them, and they are also good at their jobs. (Daddy works at Wal*Mart as a greeter, and mama is a charge nurse at Nashville Memorial Hospital.) And they take us to church each and every week. (We go to Christ Community Assembly of God Church here in Nashville.)
I am blessed because I was born to parents who loved me, my sister, and my baby brother, LeKeywin (he was adopted by another family, but we still see each other regularly; he is 4, the baby of our family). My parents were good to us, but then they were killed in a car wreck when I was 7. That was nearly 4 years ago, and we all still miss them terribly. I especially miss mama's honey scented perfume, her cooking (she made the BEST collard greens and turtle soup, not to mention, fried chicken to DIE for!!!), and her deep, resonant singing voice. Mama was a great singer. I also miss daddy's hugs, the smell of his pipe, and his laughter. (They were already saved; I or LaGloria weren't saved back then.) But they are now in Heaven, with Jesus, and right now, I can't be happier, because when we die or when Jesus comes, we will be reunited.
I CAN'T wait for that joyful day!!!!
I am also blessed because I have great friends at school, namely Yvonne Craig, India Parker, Gretel Schnauerheimer (say THAT three times, fast!!), Bethanie Breaux, Ronessa Chalmers, and Rosetta Evans. We all love to do double-dutch (although Bethanie isn't as good as we are; still, she still tries her hardest!!), and we love to spend time together at the mall, local library, or at each other's houses. We also love to dance to the latest rap or rock tunes; we are especially into songs by Destiny's Child, Mystikal, R. Kelly, Whitney Houston, and Mariah Carey. (We do not do country music, although I WILL admit that I like SOME country!! [I just don't tell my friends; they would probably laugh me right out of the state of Tennessee if they knew!!])
By the way, Bethanie, Ronessa, and Rosetta go to my church.
I look at myself and my blessings, and I look at how other people are living; and compared to a lot of folks, I really have it made in the shade. I have a stable family and home environment, I live in a country where I am free to make my own choices or decisions, I do well at a lot of things, including school, and I have a family who cares about me, even though I AM adopted. There is no violence, drugs, alcohol, or hate in MY life; and I don't have to worry about going to bed hungry or worrying about whether my father is going to rape me. I also don't have to worry about living in a bad part of town, where I have to fear for my safety if I even step out of the house, and I don't have to worry about going to Hell and meeting that ole Satan face to face.
Boy, girl, have you got it MADE!!!! You've come a LONG WAY, BABY!!!!!
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~~Written by Kecia Marie Ubuti Sandusky, Aged 10 1/2~~
