A Fiery Red Head

                Nothing in life is certain or guaranteed, but I am a firm believer that all things happen for a reason. Although, we may not know what the reason may be at that time, it usually works out for the best in the overall end result. In 1991, a red headed, bright blue eyed, girl named BreeAnna was born; we refer to her as Bree.  She is a continuous blessing that I have the joy of calling, my niece.  Ever since she was that precious little girl wrapped in a pink fleece blanket, she has had my heart wrapped around her little finger.

One can never predict the future and to this day, it is difficult to recollect about her unfortunate childhood. After many years of constant court battles and shattered emotions, my family obtained custody of her seven years ago. Due to the negligence of her mother she will never be able to obtain soul custody of Bree in the future. Her mother has several other children, so she puts very minimal amount of effort into remaining in Bree’s life. She is also not an individual that would win a mother of the year award; if one was ever offered. Unfortunately she had other priorities in her life that she deemed more important than Bree. Those priorities consisted of drugs and pain pills. I will probably never understand or forgive her mother’s for the selfish choices that she made in the past. I have learned to put it behind me and move forward, because I have Bree’s best interest at heart.

My brother lives with me in my home that I purchased 4 years ago. When Bree is not attending school, she spends most of her extracurricular time with my brother and me. She has a unique sense of humor which helps maintain a constant smile on my face and those that surround her. Don’t get me wrong she’s like any other child; she has a tendency to drive me crazy as well. Her intelligence and enthusiasm constantly astonishes me. She continues to surprise me with the amount of dedication and determination she shows for being only 10 years of age. She is very responsible and also goal oriented, just like me when I was young. She actually reminds me a lot of myself. We spend a lot of quality time together and I have realized over the years that she has obtained quite a few traits of mine. She is very organized and loves to clean house. She’s also quite the little artist with an extremely large heart. She enjoys making people smile and lending a helping hand whenever she can. Not only does she physically look like me, but she acts like me too.

Although the years have displayed many trials and tribulations for this sweet little girl, she now has the potential of pursuing a great future. I am happy that Bree is such a significant part of my life; it would honestly feel incomplete without her. It’s reassuring to know that she has a great and loving family who encourage her to excel throughout her journey in life. I have always been blessed with loved ones who have supported me along the way; I often ponder where I would be without them. I never realized how much of an influence we have on the ones that we love, until Bree. I am proud to say, that she looks up to me and she is a constant reminder of how significant it is to maintain a good example for young children, since they are practically a reflection of you.