My Biggest Positive Life Influences Have Been Jesus and My Dad… and I think that’s the way God intended things to be.
PERSONAL GROWTH
I understand not everyone has this same experience with a dad that loves them and spends time with them. For a long time, I struggled to appreciate my dad, partially because I was immature and ungrateful… but also partially because of his challenges and personal failings. Despite his imperfections, God has used my dad throughout my life. He has helped me stay curious. He has encouraged me to keep learning and growing.
God also used my dad to keep me off the pole… I am serious, not joking at all. My dad gave me confidence to know that I am loved. I know I am beautiful and have value. This confidence is important in a world that discounts and devalues darker brown-skinned girls. (Oh, and I love that I get to share about him with you all now because his birthday is this month.)
I spoke briefly in a video about my dad’s ADD (or ADHD) and my own. I mentioned how it can be related to dyslexia. Our youngest daughter has overcome dyslexia. If you’d like to hear what I said, check that video out below. In a nutshell, if my dad had not disclosed his diagnosis to me, I would never have gotten tested. Since I got tested, I have been able to accelerate my healing. Receiving help allowed me to recover from prolonged grief and burn-out. So, again, I am so very grateful for my dad and his willingness to share himself with me.
In the following section, after the video, I’ll share more about my spiritual and mental health journey.
[VIDEO] DYSLEXIA AND ADHD IN A FAMILY: NEURODIVERGENT LEARNERS CAN EXCEL
I look forward to reading other responses to this awesome reading prompt. If you’d like to share about your own journey, click the prompt link above. Using prompts like this can be a great way to help you become a better and/or more frequent writer and blogger.
SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND MENTAL WELLNESS
The most important spiritual influence on my life has been Christ Jesus. He is the reason for the Christmas season. I am so grateful that I have a personal relationship with Him. I am grateful that He keeps me reminded to stay grateful and to stay focused.
With ADD (inattentive type), one of the main features is getting distracted, either by internal thoughts or external activities (i.e., SQUIRREL!). I have always struggled with this… I just recently discovered the source is ADD, not just being overtired, though that does always make it worse.
I have been developing my faith journey since I was 14 years old. I have had lots of great teaching and examples to help me learn to pray, meditate, and calm my mind. I have also had Christian therapists who have helped me heal from the wounds of trauma. The practices and skills I learned from all of them have been helpful throughout my life. However, I often felt like I was climbing a mountain just to slide back down again when big events happened. Now I know this was because my brain needed some extra help.
I am now getting that extra help. (This is via non-stimulant medication.) Additionally, I am using the practices I have learned all of these decades. I am definitely seeing myself move ahead towards my goals faster than ever before. I feel like someone came and helped me get out of quicksand. (If you have ADD or ADHD, you may understand what I am saying here.)
I hope what I’ve shared about my father has been helpful for you. I also hope that my story of my spiritual and mental health journey has been inspiring. Feel free to share this with someone you love who could be encouraged or inspired by it.
God bless you. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
P.S.
UPDATED LINK AS OF 9-2025
Did you see my gift that I shared for college application preparation? If you missed that, click here or click the image below,
