Guest Post by Jai Dungey

Hi everyone, this is Marva’s granddaughter, Jai!  (I call her “Gem.”) I wanted to guest blog today in honor of my spring break visit.  This posting is a blog that I myself wrote my freshman year of college, I’m a junior now!! Oh how time flies by… well here it goes!

A Mentor: My Grandmother

When I was younger, I lived with my Grandmother. To be honest, it seems I talked more to my Grandmother then any other family member. She taught me to always be optimistic. She always stressed three things: goals, standards, and consequences.

When I left for college, she told me "always keep your goals in mind and be open for new experiences.”  I’ve learned new experiences always come with consequences. When people talk about consequences, they are usually talking about the negative ones. My grandmother always stressed that consequences are both good and bad, they are two-way streets.

My Grandmother believes that in life you can't truly be happy unless you are helping others.  One of my favorite quotes from her is "keeping goals and standards that help yourself and others is the most important thing a person can do."

When I was younger, I had this calendar in my room and it had a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. that said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: what are you doing for others?" When I first saw this I thought "Hey! My Grandmother used to always tell me to help others.”

Another thing that my Grandmother told me was to be flexible because when people try to accomplish goals they often try to be perfect. But, no matter how perfect a person can be, something can always go wrong. Another quote from my Grandmother is "don't be floored by trouble,” which means no matter how bad something is, you need to keep it moving.

Growing up, I've come across A LOT of different situations that stressed me out and made things more difficult than they had to be. When I find myself in these situations I always think about something my Grandmother said, and this is why I consider her my mentor. She is always there when I need to talk and she seems to always have the answer to any problem.

I love you Gemmie! Keep being my inspiration you beautiful lady you!

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“Thanks for being a Guest Blogger for me, my Jai!  I love you – and your lovely words!!    God Bless you darling!"

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Have a wonderful weekend everyone.   I look forward to returning on Monday.