“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
~Howard Thurman

"I Am What I Am"

I am one who embraces the challenge.
I am one who does what others only dare.
I teach and I reach…
Though they may be far and few between.
At the end of my years, I will reflect and know,
Think and say,
Speak and feel,
All that which I have become.
All that I have embraced,
Even that which was difficult--
Because I rose to the challenge
And I was firm in my convictions.
I loved the challenge and the quest for answers—
Even the seemingly impossible ones.
I nurtured the thirst for knowledge by
never letting my own well run dry.
I am a woman who wonders, “ Do I do enough?”
Or, am I doing too much? How much more of myself can I give?
I do what I do because I am what I am.
I am a wife, a mother, a teacher, a daughter, a niece, a granddaughter, a friend.
I am what I am.
I am a work in progress,
Never perfected and in constant need of refinement.
This is me and I am what I am.
I am a poet whose words are often unrhymed.
I am a writer who writes what is on my mind.
I keep trying and I practice.
I practice to perfect an art, knowing that perfection is an unattainable goal—
Only a point to strive toward.
My heart is on my sleeve and that is only because
I am what I am.
I am a lover of the written word, the ability to speak one’s mind, and the inspiration to find one’s voice.
I am human and I am often sidetracked by the realities of life and the pains of death.
I am a writer who struggles to find the words that fit perfectly on the page—
Regardless of how those words are interpreted by those who know me less than myself—
By those who think they know me.
I am a teacher who teaches respect,
Knowing that the hidden curriculum has a place of importance
And respect for one’s self and others will benefit my students
farther in life than any multiple choice test.
I am strong, but even I need reassurance and positive reinforcement to do
the insurmountable tasks that consume my day.
Even with strength comes doubt---
But I have a higher power whose voice reminds me
that He has made me who I am.
And He gives me a will to strive to do more.
Never to be perfect, but always changing,
Always learning, and always growing,
Which is the essence of life.