WHO ARE YOU? I AM...

Time for this week's Tuesday @ Ten, where we have a week to write on the prompt that Karen provides for us...

Last week's prompt phrase was:  "If I Could Write a Letter to the Past Me..."

Now that I have written a letter to "the Past Me", I will attempt to determine "who I am" with this week's prompt:  "WHO ARE YOU?" and answer...

I AM...

A few years ago, I completed a scrapbook titled "ALL ABOUT ME".  As a lot of scrapbookers would tell you, we showcase photos of our family...and seldom have any of ourselves!  I am one of those scrapbookers; but have slowly been remembering to hand the camera to someone else so I can be included in the photos!!

The following was written in September 1998, for a Sunday School lesson - the beginnings of "who I am":

"Who Are We and Why Are We Here?"

A hope, a joy -

They planned so long!

Not a little boy -

But daddy's little girl!

She made him laugh - and cry.

The love they felt -

And gloom, despair.

She almost died...*

But God saved her,

And she grew...

To become a wife,
a mother herself...

For what purpose
was she saved?

Who is she to be?

A failure?

Lost?

No...not lost, but

Found - saved!

To live;

To share her life with others...

{* The reference to "death" refers to an illness when I was an infant, catching the Asiatic Flu from my father after he returned from serving in the Army in Korea.  Apparently it was a deadly flu he carried back in his belongings.}

In the "All About Me" scrapbook, completed January through December 2009 - there are two particular pages of journaling I wish to share that help to answer this week's "Who Are You?  I Am..." prompt:

Who Am I?

I am Barbara Jean

born of Paul and Betty

on August 25th.

I am Precious

First-Born Daughter.

I am Bobbie Jean;

that is what my Nanna called me.

I am Granddaughter

to my Father's Parents.

I am Barb or just Barbara

to my Family and Friends.

I am Niece, Cousin,

Sister,

Big Sis, Lil Big Sis.

I am Friend.

I am Barbara;

Friend, Classmate,

Best Friend.

I am Employee; Co-Worker;

Acquaintance.

I am Barbara...

Wife, Lover

to Jimmy.

I am Daughter-in-law;

Sister-in-law

to his parents and sisters.

I am Mother; Mommy; Mom

to Christopher and Catherine.

I am Ex-Wife; Estranged;

Separated;

No Longer Held High in his eyes.

I am Single;

Single Mother.

I am Divorced.

I am Single Working Mother;

I am Dating.

I am Barbara...

Wife to Bobby;

I am Sister-in-Law, Aunt.

I am Mother, Mommy,

Mom to Melissa.

I am Child of God;

made in His Image.

I am Love and Loved -

I am Someone!

I am Me, Myself, I;

I am Barbara!

And, near the end of that "All About Me" scrapbook are these words:

My hair isn't as long or as shiny as it once was;

a bit of gray may show through at times.

My eyes may not be as sparkling as before;

my face shows a bit of pudginess

now that my chin has doubled.

My arms and legs aren't as skinny as before;

and my feet aren't as fast.

Over the years I have gone from a skinny teenager

with hair in curls or falling to my waist,

to an over-weight middle-aged grandma.

But deep inside this aging body

is the same fun-loving person

I have always been

I am uniquely...

ME!

So, this is who I was; perhaps, it is still who I am!  I am still a grandmother; yet, a retired grandmother now, with six grandchildren!  And, since being retired, I have the flexible time to spend with them!

And, since the above entries were originally written, I have also discovered a couple of other "hats" that I also wear.

On November 10, 2014, I was honored to have a Guest Post included for National Caregivers Month on Anita Ojeda's blog, Blessed (but Stressed).  That post can be found here; but I have included the beginning of what I wrote as a conclusion to "Who Are You?...I Am":

Wearing hats is not who I am.  They just aren’t comfortable; and most of the time my head sweats from them, especially the wool winter caps!  I do “wear hats” or labels that define who I am to those in my life.  For instance, to my parents I was Daughter; to my grandparents I was Granddaughter; to my brothers I am Sister; to my children I am Mother (or other variations); to my grandchildren I am MeMaw; and to my friends I am Barbara, or Barb, or B. J.  And to my husband, not only am I Wife, but I am also Caregiver.  And recently, after successfully completing the Write 31 Days challenge, I have come to realize – I am a Writer – at least an amateur wanna-be writer!


So, that is who I am!  Now you know...