Personal Narrative: My Family's Contributions

In 1984 Ronald Reagan was President of the United States. Prince’s song When Doves Cry was number one on the Top Hits chart. On a hot, summer night my mother goes into labor with her third child. At 12:18am on August 25, 1984 I was born to Aubrey and Betty Hall in a Dallas hospital. My mother chose to name me Heather after the Scottish Heather flower referencing our Scottish heritage. My father picked my middle name, Jane, after his favorite grandmother. I was born into a loving family consisting of a father, mother, sister, and brother. A few years later our family of five turns into a family of eight with the births of another sister and two more brothers. Three boys and three girls, we were practically the Brady Bunch. There has been so

many people and events in my life that have transformed me and helped me to grow.

From the death of my father, the influences of my loving grandparents, to the births of my own children. The hardships that I have been through and the love from people all around me have shaped me into who I am today.
I have a lot of fond memories looking back on my childhood. My dad’s parents had a house on Granbury Lake; it was a kid’s paradise. I grew up fishing, which is my favorite thing to do, boating, water skiing, 4-wheeling, anything you could do outdoors we did it. My grandparents had a massive garden and rows of fruit trees that lined their properly. We would wake up early in the morning to help Pa Pa woke in the garden. Being from the city, we that this was the coolest thing ever. As a reward for our hard work, Na Na would treat us to a snack of fresh cherry tomatoes from the garden. Although, she would always call them little boy and little girl tomatoes. Night time was my favorite out at the lake because that’s when the fire flies would come out. Every evening around dusk we would get our mason jars, poke holes in the lids, and wait to spot the first lightning bug. We didn’t have to wait long until the whole night sky

was filled with the little flicking of fire flies. When we weren’t swimming in to lake or trying to catch baby ducks, we would cool off in Pa Pa’s “man cave”. We would use his vintage, 1900’s popcorn machine to pop us up some buttery popcorn and sit back and play his vintage 1940’s nickel slot machine. Even though it sounds like all fun and games, there was a lot of work to do to maintain their property. We had to help out around the house and garden. My grandparents taught us to work hard and then you play even harder. When I was eight years old my dreamy childhood came to an abrupt stop. My father passed away a few months before his fortieth birthday; I was devastated. I remember the day I got the news, I kneeled down in front of my bedroom window, got on my hands and knees, and prayed to God. I begged him to bring my father back. I promised God that I would be good and never get into trouble if he would just bring him back. I was angry and confused as to why God would let this happen. I was daddy’s little girl and I wanted him back.
Shortly after the passing of my father my three younger siblings and I went to live with my mother’s parents. My grandmother and grandfather were another major influential part of my life. Unlike the simple, country living of my Na Na and Pa Pa, Grandma and Grandpa lived in the city and had their own business. They owned ABC Flag Manufacturing, Co. for about forty years. They started out with my grandmother using one sewing machine and my grandfather selling Penates. Through the years they grew into a successful business. My grandmother even has a flag on the moon which she sewed a strand of her hair into the seam. While living with my grandparents, my siblings and I attended Fort Worth Christian School. So much of my adolescence was shaped by the teachers and families that attended that school. We were one big family looking out for one another. When we were not at school or any after school functions, we were at the factory with my grandparents. We loved going to the back and get scrap material from flags that were already cut. We would take all our supplies, park ourselves in my grandparent’s office, and start making our owe flags. You would be surprised how creative children can get with scrap material, markers, white out, and a stapler. I remember watching my grandfather at work. He was a great business man and an all-around genuine guy. All those years of watching my grandparents successfully run their business taught me creativity, leadership, and to not be afraid to go after what you want. They inspired me to become someone important and to do great things for people.
By the time I was coming into my teens I was starting to hit rough times again. I was turning into a woman, I was starting to notice boys, and I felt that couldn’t talk about any of this with my grandmother. My grandmother did an amazing job of raising me, but now I needed my mother. At least that is what I thought I needed. When you are fifteen you think you know everything. When in reality you barely know anything at all. So, I went to live with my mother which was the beginning of a period of bad choices for me. My mother loves her children dearly, but she has a very different parenting style then my grandmother. I grew up with an authoritative style of parenting from my grandparents. They help high expectations for us and set clear rules and guidelines. It was also a loving, nurturing relationship. On the other hand, my mother has a permissive parenting style. My mother is very loving and nurturing however, there were no set rules or guidelines to follow. If there was a rule, no one followed it because we knew there was no consequences that would follow. This is not a good environment for teenagers because young adults need boundaries. I needed my mother to be a parent and not my best friend. Since I had no rules or consequences, I started making stupid decisions. This led to me having my first child on my eighteenth birthday.
Being a teen mother was a huge eye opener for me.

I looked back on my life and realized that all my hopes and dreams, everything that I wanted to be and do, I had tossed it away. I had forgotten who my grandparents had raised me to be. They wanted the best for me and now I want the best for my newborn son. I had decided right then and there that I needed to change my ways. I had to change who I let into my life and who I let influence me. It is funny how God works in mysterious ways. Once I decided to better myself for me and my son, I met my future husband. It’s funny because our lives have passed our whole entire lives and yet we never knew one another. We both attended Fort Worth Christian School at the same time. Our families attended all the same events and venues at the same time. Yet, had I never made the decision to move back in with my mother I never would have met him. Twelve years later we are happily married with three wonderful boys. I have spent the last twelve years taking care of our children and building a nurturing, Christian home for our family. Most recently, my boys have inspired to go back to school and finish what I started many years ago. They make me want to continue to grow and be a better person for

them.
Because of these significant events in my life and these significant people, I am who I am today. We can all look back on our lives and our mistakes and wish we made different choices, but it is those choices and mistakes that shape us. People don’t grew during the good times, it’s when we experience hardships that we grew and mature. We should be thankful for every part of our life because that is what sets our story apart from all the rest.