Believe in Yourself

No one can change your circumstances but you.  You have heard stories of people who took control of their lives and made changes that improved their quality of life exponentially.  We cannot change the circumstances of our birth, but we can change how we move forward.  Let me tell you about my friend Mary.  Mary was born to a teenage mother and a father.  Her mother and father were never married.  Her mother would often leave Mary and her other children (there were four girls total) with her parents while she was strung out on drugs.  Her mom always felt that if she could get a good man, her problems would be over.  She went from man to man and never found the right one.  She would come back into the girls' lives occasionally, but she never stayed for long.  They knew her as their mother, but she rarely mothered.  
Mary went off to college as a 18 year old girl.  Before long she met her husband, and they got married.  They have now been married for over 30 years.  Mary did not become like her mother.  She became everything her mother never was.  She put her husband through college.  He now has his master's degree.  They had 4 children.  She was a stay at home mom to those children.  She was there for them through the good, bad, and ugly.  And she never left.  Everything was not always wonderful, and there were hard times for sure, but she provided stability for her children where her mother did not provide that for her.  Now her mother lives close to Mary and they are able to help each other when needed.  Mary went back to college after her children were in high school and graduated with her bachelor's degree many years after starting it.  Mary turned her life around.  She did not become what she witnessed as a child.  I am amazed by her.  I am proud to be her friend.  
What are the circumstances of your life that you would like to make better for your children?  What decisions can you make that will put you on the path that you desire?  Who has control over what you will become?  
You decide. Believe in yourself.