House of Lloyd

Have you ever had a moment in your life where you felt destiny calling you? A moment in time where you knew your life would be changed forever, the moment when your heart and mind were set on a dream?

I have had several moments in my life that I have felt this way. One of my most defining moments will seem silly to you but this one moment in my life changed me forever and today that moment came flooding back to me reminding me of good times, bad times and having a dream and faith to achieve the dream.

And a silly bracelet made it happen.

My life was in turmoil in 8th grade. My oldest sister had just left home at the age of 16, and my family had picked up and moved across the county. In a weeks time I lost my sister, my friends, my school and everything in life that seemed normal. Going to a new school was not fun especially in the middle of the year when you are from CA moving to FL. Vans shoes and ski jackets were cool in CA but we looked silly in FL. Somehow, I made it through the 8th grade and started 9th grade at Milton High School.

The defining moment that changed my life and helped to make me the person I am today happened on the 1st day of 9th grade when I walked into a typing class taught by Mr. Handley. I was not excited about this class, but it seemed like an easy A. The school still had manual typewriters that had a bell that rung when you got to the end of the line and a carriage release you had to use in order to get to the next line. I don’t know what it was about the sound the keys made, the bell ringing and the crisp white paper but for some reason I had found something in life to love.

Through out the semester I learned that with this skill I could make something of my life. In this typing class I found HOPE and a DREAM. By the third week of class I knew in my heart that one day I would be a typing teacher. I had thought this on the first day of school but dismissed the thought. I had a dream and I would somehow make it happen.

Fast forward a few years. I still had my dream of being a typing teacher. But life had gotten rough. My family life was bad, and I felt my dream fading. I actually left home at the age of 16 (long story, will save for another post). I was lost and felt like I would never reach my dream and that life would never be okay for me again. I guess that’s how the minds of 16 year old’s work.

I moved to TN and enrolled in another high school. In this school I registered for a Marketing class and was a member of DECA. I could feel my dream of being a typing teacher coming back to life. Life did improve but I still had some problems. But I was able to attend college and I did finally achieve my dream of being a typing teacher. The only thing is I would never teach kids to type on a typewriter. My first year of teaching computers made it to the classroom. I did teach typing along with several other subjects. I have had a successful teaching career and would not change my career path in any way.

It’s no secrete that the past few months have been hell on earth for David and me. We had dreams and we lost them, we have felt alone and like life would never be normal again. Today by chance I got a reminder to remember my dreams and to keep on having faith and doing what I need to do to achieve them.

I had a few minutes before class at KSU so I stopped at an antique store. Within a minute of being in the store I was drawn to a jewelry case and in the case was a bracelet made from old typewriter keys and it said the word DREAM on it. I normally do not make impulse purchases but I did today because this bracelet was a wonderful reminder to me of where I have been and where I can go. It was a reminder to keep the dream alive and that sometimes the world may seem dark but if you keep pressing on things will get better.