Grit:
It’s what gets on your clothes, under your skin, in your blood when you love hard, fight hard, play hard, live hard in a place where everyone has to work hard to survive.
Where I Come From:
A small town within a city, where in the early 1950’s, used-to-be farmers, sailors, soldiers, and many men who worked thankless jobs came to work as steel and pipe workers, electricians, plumbers, builders—hard working blue collar jobs. The strong women who loved them followed. They came to work and raise families, hoping to build better lives than what they had left behind.
Leaving:
I walked away from my father’s life with more than my father came with. The grit I gained from the hard working people around me got me through a lifetime of struggle. As a sensitive girl with haunting, hidden memories, who loved classical music in an environment not inclined to appreciate its beauty, I survived. And when I left, I took my music with me.
What I Have Learned:
Each reflection of your past—good or bad—adds another dimension to every step you take. You will stumble until you stop and repair each broken step. Only then can you continue to climb.
