My Mom, the Trooper

I'm not a perfect person. I have my faults, but I also have my life. Many people in my position would just give up and let life push them into a six foot hole. They would lie in that hole until their time came. I can't count how many times I wanted to give up and fall into blackness. But I don't. I keep moving on and take whatever life gives me and build on what I have. The reason for this is because I have an inspiration, and that is my mother. My mother is fifty two years old with only her two kids to her name. She's the only person I can look at and say, "Now she's a trooper". For years now my mother has been trying to keep our house and make the best living environment for my sister and me. And even though our property looks like a tornado struck it, it's the best place to be.

I live in a small area in St. Paul called Frogtown. It's not the best place to walk around for a fifteen year old kid with long hair and a skateboard in his hand. But living here has been the best experience of my life. I have seen many things from the safety of my yard that not very many Caucasian kids have the privilege to see. My house has been hit by stray bullets, my neighbors are drug dealers, people get beat up and their cars stolen within sight of my front porch. Not very many people get to see these things because they try to avoid it. Just because we, as people, like to pretend like it's not happening doesn't mean that civilians are not living in it.

My family is a peaceful family. We are neutrals in this warzone we call home. In the summer time, our yard is a forest. It's infested with large, bright, multicolored flowers and all different kinds of plants. This is my mother's sacred palace. She spends most of her time on her hands and knees putting her green thumb to work. This yard is her stress ball and her place of peace and quiet. Even though the sound systems in cars shake the earth during barbeques next door.

Recently I discovered that our house was being foreclosed, meaning we have to vacate the premises by the end of the month. This news destroyed me. Summer was coming soon and I was looking forward to hanging out with my friends in this rainforest we call a yard. But now, those good times I was foreseeing won't happen. Well, not at this location at least. I could sense this day was coming ever since we had to live with no power or gas for two months about a year ago. The thought was always in the back of my head but it never occurred to me that it was going to happen. HEB

Copyright © 2009 Stephanie Ericsson All Rights Reserved