First Things First!

To understand me and my love of people, you first need to understand my upbringing and family.

I was born in the mountains of southwest Virginia in a town called Clintwood. My Daddy was an electrician in the coal mines. My Momma was a traditional stay at home mom. Both my parents had an unending work ethic - and still do. Both my parents grew up in Clintwood and graduated from Clintwood high school. I am a middle child sandwiched between a beautiful older sister - Melissa and a dynamic younger brother - Mark. We did not fight. We loved. We lived a simple life. Friends. Family. Church at Clintwood Bible on Wednesdays & Sundays. Picnics at the Falls of Little Stoney. Snow days. Fun summers. Climbing trees. Hide and go seek. Traditional.

Every day the bus would drop me and my sister Melissa off at the mouth of Crabtree Holler along with two older boys - Duck & Randall. We walked the half mile home. My Kindergarten was at Longs Fork Elementary with Miss Hartman as my teacher. Her long hair fell at her waistline and she parted it down the middle. In true 1970s hippie form - just before nap time - Miss Hartman played songs on her guitar like Puff the Magic Dragon and Blowin' in the wind. Life was happy. Life was simple.

I can close my eyes and remember my Daddy coming home from work. Exhausted - black from head to toe - covered in coal dust - setting his dinner bucket on the table and talking through his day with my momma as she cooked dinner. Good communication. I wanted to kiss my Daddy's face but Momma insisted I would get COVERED in coal dust and she did NOT want to clean me up just before dinner.

So, here is my overall perspective on how I was raised. We were middle class. Nothing extravagant or over the top. The overwhelming theme in my home was love. My Momma and Daddy showered their children with love and affection. LOVE LOVE LOVE AND MORE LOVE. UNLIMITED LOVE.

My Daddy - Don Randall Hawkins - I remember sitting in my daddy's lap with my arms around his neck, kissing him and looking at his prickly beard or mustache - studying every detail of his 30 something face, giving him more and more kisses! He called me Shellbuck and still does to this day as does most of my family. My Daddy worked hard, loved his wife and loved his children. He still does. Very much. Make no mistake - he was strict and conservative, wanting his children to grow up respecting others and learning to obey. But his love overshadowed any arguments or discipline taking place at the time. His love made you forget anything negative. I loved my daddy so much I never wanted to do anything to break his heart. He called us children his Little Rug Rats. Being middle class we drove vehicles that were 8 years old or older and this meant Saturdays were for car maintenance. I glued myself to him asking an unlimited amount of questions about cars, engines, tools. I was his helper. "Come on Shellbuck! Help Daddy out!" With excitement my feet would fall in sync behind his ready to help and learn something new! My Daddy is the best teacher I have ever known. Unending Patience. Slow to react. A thinker. Classic phlegmatic. Loving his family more than anything the world offers.

My Momma - Eva Jean Browning Hawkins - While in my early teens my Momma asked me this question. I remember the exact moment. "Precious, when I die, how will you remember me?" I smiled and without hesitation told her I would always remember her as a very hard worker!!" She GASPED and said, "Shelli Deleen! Is that all you are going to remember me for??" In my youthful - middle child - laid back mind - all my Momma did was work work work. She never sat down. Well . . . guess what. She's 65, beautiful, sassy and filled with endless energy, love, smiles, compassion - AND STILL DOES NOT SIT DOWN! Recently a friend commented to me after meeting my Momma for the first time, "Oh my! Your mother certainly is VIVACIOUS!" I smiled replying, "Yes she certainly is!" My Momma smothered her children with love and affection. She told us DAILY we could DO and BE anything we wanted! She loved us unconditionally. She told my sister and me we were BEAUTIFUL! Momma was a lover, a worker, an entertainer having people over all the time, a giver, sacrificing herself for her family and others. I never heard her say, "I just need some ME time!" Even though I know she felt completely exhausted. A few weeks ago I asked her how she handled STRESS while we were growing up. She looked at me, smiled and said, "Precious, we never used the word stress. Ever. We simply called it LIFE! And you know what? We made it through one day at a time." My Momma is an amazing lady!

I believe my parent's intense love for me provided a solid foundation for the love I have for people today. This blog will be my channel to share stories of  the people in my life. The influencers. The complainers. The happy. The thinkers. The analysts. And all the other people from all walks of life.

I am a fly strip coated with sugar hanging from the ceiling of the world.