The Countdown to my top 5 living people

Friday, January 12, 2007
Friday Five: Countdown Edition from the revgalblogpals

Songbird says: "Last night my TV Boyfriend Keith Olbermann made some comments I really appreciated, and it got me thinking about what makes one person admire another. In the spirit of Keith's show on MSNBC, welcome to the Friday Five Countdown Edition."
Please count down five living people you admire and tell us a little something about why they make your list. These could be famous people or people you know personally.

5... Lilly Q; Lilly is the Chinese Liason for our adoption agency. She has been involved in the Chinese adoptions a long time. Her story of how she got involved is that she was assigned as a translator to a group of Americans who had come over to adopt. The man who was handling the adoptions made off with the money, and so the families had no babies and no money to adopt. Lilly told them if they would stay in the country a little longer she would help them adopt. And sure enough she was able to help them adopt their babies. Lilly is a strong woman in the midst of a male dominated society. She has also worked hard to get foster parents for the babies and children, so they don't have to stay in the orphanage until they are adopted. She too has adopted. She is a good friend who I will always cherish her.
4... My sister; Denise is a very bright woman with many talents, gifts and graces. She is a good mom to her two children. She survived an awful marriage, and a difficult divorce. She rose to be Vice President in a Bank without having a college degree. She worked on her degree when she could obtaining it a few years ago. She did public relations for hospice. And she currently serves as a Christian Education Minister for a Presbyterian church. She has done a bang up job there, and even preaches on occasion. She has taken on the task of helping my mom as she grows older. She is good to people who are hurting. We are complete opposites, we both hated each other as children, but now love each other.
3... My Mom; My mom was raised in the north and married a man from the South. She married him one day and the honeymoon was the move down to Florida. She made herself a home and life in the South. She grew up in the depression on her grandparent's farm while her dad worked away in the city when there was work. She was sexually abused by a farm hand. The family was very stern, critical and puritanical. She obtained an RN degree and worked off and on PRN while we were growing up. Once we grew up she worked full time. She became a Christian later in life, and raised us to know Jesus. She struggled with depression, guilt and low self esteem as long as I have known her. She took care of her Aunt who had Alzhimers (Sp), and her mom two years later. She remained married to my dad even though he was difficult to live with and very domineering. She took care of him when he developed cancer and later died. She has handled his death well, and is living her life now. She was breaking racial barriers when it wasn't the socially acceptable thing to do. She does things for people that no one even knows. We were not close growing up, but we are now, and I love her.
2... My Grandfather; He is a 101 years old, maybe 102, his birth records were lost in a courthouse fire. He grew up in the early days of Florida. He watched a lot of his family die of the flu epedemic. He saw his brother killed in a fire. He worked hard all his life up to the age of 87, and would have kept working if his eyes had not failed him. He still though gardened at home. His wife was killed by a drunk driver when I was a young girl. He and his wife had a boarding house in order to make it through the depression. He came and helped with his son, my dad when he was dying. He outlived his daughter, his other child. He lived by himself up to a couple of years ago when he fell and broke his hip and he realized he could not do it anymore. He loves to play rook and other card games. Has a great sense of humor. Unlike me, he eats right too. Likes a little wine everynow and then. And he has a strong faith in God. I really love my Grandad.
1... My husband; I really love this man. Can I say it again. I really love this man. Bob grew up on a farm was 5th of 6 children. By the time he came along his mom was too tired to take care of him and his sister. So he was taken care of by his older siblings. He was a short fellow growing up. He worked the farm which was a dairy farm which left very little time for extra curricular activities. He went into the army, trained as a medic in special forces. He then went to Viet Nam, and lived with the Vietnamese. He says he delivered more babies than he did kill people. But many a time he almost was the one to die or get shot at. (I am not sure I wrote that right.) He does have PTSD, but he has been in therapy and a group to deal with a lot of it. He loves me and married me. He was previously married to a woman who mentally, emotionally and physically abused him. He's done therapy for that too. He is a deeply spiritual man. He is very astute at diagnosing problems and situations. He is a calm, patient presence. He went through all the crap we went through trying to get pregnant, including invitro fertilization. And he is a very good daddy. Again I love this man.

Thats my five that are alive, I have lots more that have gone on before me and I hope to see in heaven.
Now I would have to say I admire my revgalblogpals and thats my bonus for today.
Have a good weekend ya'll.