A Grandmother's Dilemma: What Happens When "No" Is Not an Option?

Imagine being married at 14, having 17 children, widowed at 48 years of age with five children still at home to raise. Most women would have a major problem with this scenario. Yet, if that is not enough, you then assume sole responsibility for four little grandchildren -- all under the age of six.

That is the story of my paternal grandmother, Mrs. Lubertha Strickland Monk, because that is exactly what happened to her. Being saddled with this enormous responsibility, my grandmother was facing an uphill battle. Yet, she was determined to survive, which made her my hero. Although she did not have much, what she had was an abundance of love, which she was willing to give to four little grandchildren, who not only needed her love but a "home." For my grandmother, "no" was not an option.

What motivated this little African-American and half Cherokee woman to stretch her faith, push past her circumstances, and inspire others to greatness? Despite being blind, and having no more than a fourth grade education, my grandmother was a remarkable woman. She was an advocate for education and encouraged each of us to pursue our dreams. I ascertain that there were four things that motivated my grandmother to triumph over her circumstances.

First, my grandmother's priorities were in order. Given her dilemma, she could have easily harbored resentment, bitterness,and anger. Yet, she refused. Instead, she was a devout Christian. Having lived with my grandmother, it was evident that her faith was preeminent in her life. She believed that God would provide and sustain her and the family. Her favorite bible verse was "I have never seen the righteous forsaken, or its seed begging bread."

Second, my grandmother was a woman of integrity. She was well-respected in the community. Her word was truly her bond. Her life reflected her devotion to honesty. She often taught us to treat others as we would want them to treat us. Imagine what would happen in our society, if people practice this simple technique today.

Third, my grandmother believed in hard work. Before, she went blind, she maintained a little farm which enabled her to provide for her family. As children, we were not exempt from working. In addition to working on the farm, we also worked a variety of jobs. Grandmother was determined to ensure that her offspring had a strong work ethic.

Fourth, my grandmother had an amazing capacity to love people. She would give to help others when she barely had enough for herself. Because of her faith, she would often put others first. My grandmother was definitely a people-person which made her a constant source of inspiration.

In summary, faith, integrity, hard work, and love enabled my grandmother to turn what some would perceive as a major "mess" into a positive, enduring, and powerful "message." She did not allow her disability (blindness) to destroy her inner character. Since her blindness was a result of sugar diabetes, she spent time educating her family and others about the unfortunate side effects of being diabetic.

Door Alarms - Learn How Door Alarms Will Protect Your Home From Unwanted Intruders

Door Alarms are small devices that, when properly placed, will tell you when someone tries to enter your house.

The thought of having your home broken into is pretty scary, even if it has never happened to you. However, with a little effort and application you can easily make your home safer and more secure. The number one places to protect should be the front and side entrances, sheds and fences. Generally, you should ensure that you protect your doors and what better way to do it than by installing Door Alarms.

Doors can present the greatest weakness to your home`s safety, even when they seem to be strong and secure. This is because even with the best lock systems, burglars may still find a way to get through them.

That is why it is important to have a Door Alarm in place to complement the other safety measures. And if you have any qualms on whether they are effective, then rest assured that these devices protect.

Door Alarms do an excellent job of alerting you, your neighbors or your security company when an intruder try`s to break into your home. Note that most door alarms are very loud and irritating and it would be very hard for people who are around to ignore them. This spells doom for many housebreakers since they would not like to be caught.

It is, therefore, for a good reason, that installation of Door Alarms has long been the most convenient and sure-fire alternative when it comes to giving your home uncompromised security.

These alarms come in a number of choices ranging from those with only the basic functionalities to the more advanced ones that can even save lives.

There are two types of these alarm systems - the wireless and the wired alarm systems. The wireless door systems are more popular with people since they are flexible and can be placed almost anywhere. The wired alarms, on the other hand, are believed to be more reliable but they are a bit expensive. Other than that, the two systems have more or less the same functionalities.

I really do appreciate the work that door alarms do to protect homes and business. These devices have a relentlessly loud noise; it's hard to imagine that any burglar would stick around after the alarm starts sounding.

Don't be the victim of a home burglary. Wireless Door Alarms will keep your doors protected at all times by letting you know when someone enters your home.