Christina Bradley

My blogs

Gender	Female
Industry	Education
Occupation	Piano teacher
Location	Marin County, California, United States
Introduction	My mom's first two names were "Eunice" (victorious) and "Belva" (beautiful view). According to her family's tradition, she was called "Eunice" in formal or legal situations and "Belva" at all other times. It was years before I discovered that she had two names. I grew up knowing her only as "Belva." She survived my father and then survived his desertion of the family. She always imagined a better future, even when the bills couldn't be paid and her three children turned on her, each in our own way. It is only as an adult that I finally came to appreciate the sacrifices she made so that we could have food on the table, a roof over our heads and a good education. My mom taught me that survival with dignity is possible, humor is a necessity and following one's passion is more important than all the money in Fort Knox. I know that without her influence this daughter would have crashed and burned a long time ago.