When I was about three, my grandmother took me in. The earliest memories of life I have all started with my Nana and Pops. My Nana was the best; she took me all over the place from birthday parties, to the farm in town. One very special place she always took me to was the library. I grew up going to sleep after being read the 100 bible stories book with a question about the story afterwards. In my life reading was a daily activity that was normal. So as soon as I was old enough, I was taught to read at the dinner table. I remember sitting there sounding out words and letter sounds. My Nana instilled into me the joy and love of reading. .
Just before I was about to go into the second grade, my mother decided she would remarry, a sixty year old man she had known since she was eighteen. They both decided it was time for me to come live with them. This was truly one of the hardest experiences I've had in my life. My mother is nothing like my Nana, even if she is her child. My mother is a very vain and materialistic woman. The values and habits my Nana had instilled into me contradicted the dreams my mother had for her daughter. The only time I found myself truly happy during my young years were when I would stay up and read myself to sleep. .
As I grew into the young woman my Nana had shown me to be, tension between my mother, step father, and myself grew to its height during my middle school years. I found myself burying me into my school work. I had friends, but they knew and came to know how my parents are. I received the highest grades I could and excelled on the field hockey field. I did all this while reading myself to sleep, or finishing three or more books a day that my teachers recommended. .
Once high school rolled around, when other kids complained about reading stories, I secretly delighted in the task. I would read ahead in classes just for fun, while swapping books among friends. At my most stressful time of exams or standardized test, I found comfort in a book.
