Educator. Leader. Giver. Cancer Survivor. My mom.
Her parents are part of the greatest generation and raised her in rural Arkansas where work ethic and grit are part of your daily bread. The middle child of three and only girl, she attended Barber College after high school to pursue a career in cutting hair. She opened her own salon alongside a friend in Brinkley Arkansas. It was there she lived with her husband Jimbo and their awesome first child (yours truly).
After transplanting to Jacksonville (AR) for a short while, we wound up in Jonesboro (AR) for my dad's job at Busch Agricultural Resources where he worked in the rice mill on the north side of town. My mom used this opportunity to go back to school to become a teacher where she finished in under 4 years.
The work of raising two children and going to school full time didn't come easy, but boy did she ever make it look that way. We grew up decently poor on the wrong end of town but never new anything less than extravagant Christmases and birthdays. We didn't know until later in life that we had spent our childhood poor. We were spoiled emotionally and in material things, but in the way you hope to spoil your children-not in the modern "over protect them and coddle them" sense.
My sister and I were raised to fear the Lord and the belt but were given every freedom to express ourselves and be creative in our own personalities and interests. It was the perfect balance of a strict upbringing without making us "participation trophy winning" sissies on the freedom side.
Graduating early and getting a great teaching job pretty quick weren't good enough for her, so my mom moved on to become among the first class in Arkansas of teachers to receive the National Board for Professional Teachers certification in addition to her teaching job. She has since made quite the name for herself by leading and instructing other teachers on how to obtain this certification. She is the go-to woman on the issue and if you mention her name in those circles, you get a "THE Phyllis Wofford!?" response. Yeah. She's kind of a big deal. A book on how to be the best teacher you can be will be out soon enough.
My mom continues to be the strong, caring, uber-supportive and giving woman she has always been, who never gets enough credit for her actions. She opens up her home to strangers, leans on the Lord for wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, and is in a class all her own when it comes to upstanding women. If you ever want to learn about how to manage life as a woman, parent, teacher, and all-around superhero, have a sit down with my mom.
I give you this TINY peek into who she is and where she's come from because today is her birthday.
I cherish her, appreciate her, and LOVE her more than any words on a blog could express.
Feel free to do the same to your mom. She's not as cool as mine, but chances are, she's close and would love the time of day from you.
Amen. WOW! Beautifully stated
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