Devoted Mother.

Growing up has always been a struggle. Ever since I was a baby, my Mom has been nothing but a loving single mother. When she got pregnant with me, she was working on her Masters in Graphic Design at a college in Chicago, Illinois (which is where I was born). Even before that famous day on November 5, 1992 when I first came into this world, my mom was already making plans. Planning on college, high school, a car, all the typical milestones that were going to come up during the course of my life. She set up a bank account to save money for me to go to college off of her single parent salary. Life began to get tough for her, so she had to make a hard decision that would make it so she could give me the best possible life and opportunities that she could provide me; so she moved back in with her parents, Bill and Barbara Catlin (Papa and Grandma). As soon as she moved in she started looking into good schools in the region, and she found Maumee Valley Country Day School. So she took me on a trip to visit the school, we loved it. The advanced education rate and the liberal learning environment was exactly what she was looking for to give her baby boy a good head start in this tough world. The school was perfect, but now it was a matter of money, she had to figure out how she was going to pay the steep annual tuition of such a prestigious school. Keeping money out of the equation, my mom asked me what I thought of the school, and I told her I loved it. At that moment my mom made one of the most important decision of her life; she got her poker face on and decided that she would open up my college fund bank account and use that money to pay for my schooling. We enrolled at Maumee Valley that same day. I distinctly remember the car ride home with her and my grandparents. I saw an expression on my moms face that I had never seen before. It was a mix between confidence, hope, and a tad bit of worry. It wasn't until recently that I realized why my mom had that expression. She was taking the biggest financial risk of her life, but for some reason she didn't care. She was investing all she had in something that had all of her, me. In her mind she was putting all her chips in, in order to give her only son the best education available. Her idea was for me to become so intelligent that I would be able to pay for my own post-secondary education with scholarships and loans I would receive. It was a risk she was willing to take. My mom had to do something in order to keep a steady flow of money around the house, so she had to come to an agreement with my grandparents in order for them to help her pay for my schooling and she had to work multiple part time jobs. At times it got rough, and the stress of the need-for-money would cause much tension around the house but in the end my mom, along with help from my grandparents, was able to put me through 9 years at Maumee Valley and I graduated from the 8th grade in 2007. Now as a young adult, I can finally understand the sacrifice that my mom made to give me the best possible start to life. I haven't always risen to the best of my ability since I've been in high school, due to different distractions and obstacles, but with the excellent education my mom provided me with as a child, I know that no matter what I will always be able to find my way back on track and find a way to succeed in whatever I put my mind to. My mom is the most loving and devoted mother in the world, and I love her for the sacrifices she had to make in order to mold me into the best man I can be. Cheryl Yvette Catlin + Perry Allen Catlin = AGAPE

Submitted by Anonymous

Devotion