My storty begins when I was a baby......that's when my dad just dumped mom and I
at my grandparents and took off...I've never even met him, so I grew up with my mom and grandparents....all they listened
to was country music, so I was introduced to Reba at the age of five, when I first heard her song on the radio and just loved
her voice....she's been a large part of my life and a major help ever since....when I was about 10 my granpa became ill with
parkinsons disease and that was a rough time....I'd help in taking care of him and all and it was rough, but I tried to remain
strong to help others.....yea, I'd have my moments when I'd blow up at everyone, but I did my best to try and keep everyone
else going....also, I didn't have any true firends to hang out with, so I'd go listen to Reba's music and she'd carry me away
to a place of compfort and happiness, where I could leave my troubles behind....
Then when I was 15 mom and I moved in with her boyfriend and his 4 kids....that was
a really tough time on me....I ended up having to do alot of the chores around the house and cook supper....not long after
that my grandpa got put in a nursing home and grandma really needed me to be there for her, so I'd go to her house alot to
be with her and help her out.....all of that was really hard on me, but I couldn't let anyone know, because they had enough
of their own problems to deal with and didn't need me adding to them, plus I was the one who had to be strong to help them.....so
the only thing that got me through all of this was Reba. I didn't have any friends or anyone to turn to, but I always had
Reba to be there for me, through her music and TV appearances and such, as my best friend, when I didn't really have any....in
that way she was always there for me with the right words at the right time...
I then had to switch schools for the first time ever in 11th grade...went to a larger
school...got teased and discriminating looks every day for not having all the name brand clothes that everyone else had....then
one day I was about at wits end with all this....I had the radio on and Reba's new single, "I'm A Survivor" came on and it
was like she was speaking to me there telling me I had to be a survivor and I could get through this...
not much longer after that, my grandpa passed away and my grandma got put in a nursing
home....the house I grew up in then got torn down....all this happened within a matter of a few months.....that was really
difficult, but agian I had to try and be the strong one to help keep my mom and grandma going....so once again I'd retreat
to my "Reba world" watching her TV appearances, movies, and lisenting to her songs, crying along with some of the songs and
that was my way of releasing my feelings...
I finally graduated high school and went to college right after....went 4 times and
one thing after another just kept going wrong and I wasn't even able to make it through the first semester any of those times....I
ended up owing a grant repayment that I can't afford....I just became so frustrated...it just seemed like nothing would go
right at all no matter what I tried to do.....all the while everyone was blaming me then for it not working out and all when
it was things like my computer breaking down when I had online classes, becomming ill and such.....but I got told I didn't
try hard enough or stick with it when I actually had.....it all just got really frustrating.....so just like all the times
before I turned to Reba.....I'd put one of her upbeat, fast songs on and just dance and sing my heart out when I was frustrated,
then just sit back and listen to her slower songs and would become calm and relaxed and actually feel like everything was
going to be ok and work out...
After that, I just wanted to give up on everything, but I would think of what Reba
said, "I never gave up on myself and that's a piece of hard won wisdom I'd pass on to anyone wanting to chase a dream," and
that would inspire me to keep going and to never give up on myself no matter what happens.
So, you can see how much Reba's helped me throughout my entire life....Thanks to
Reba, I've made it through 21 years of my life and everything that's come with them. Reba has made me laugh, made me cry,
made me deal with things I otherwise would have putten off and would have been miserable for putting off, taken me to places
where I can leave my cares behind, and above all has been my best friend!! That's my story, but I personally know that there
are many others who've been truly helped in one way or another by Reba.
That's why I want to get some fans together to surprise her with a special birthday
party, so that we can personally thank her for everything and to let her know how much everything she does has meant and still
means to us and to also thank her for doing what she does, for caring so much about her fans, and for being the great person
she is!! We can't thank her enough for everything!! She makes us feel like we can do anything, like "I'm A Survivor," as if
we can take any mountain that stands in our way and not just cross it, climb it, but take it!!! She's always been our shoulder
when we need someone to lean on, our shelter when we need someone to see us through, and she's always been there to carry
us!
This may not seem like much of a worthy cause, but she certainly does deserve this!
She has done thirteen years of concert fundraisers for Reba's Mobile Mamography Unit, Reba's Ranch House, and the Reba McEntire
Center For Rehabilitation. She's also the national spokesperson for First Book. She wasn't some silver spoon-fed princess
who grew up on the "right" side of the tracks and had her path to stardom paved with gold from daddy's wallet. Instead, her
natural talent, combined with solid, traditional values instilled in her from the outset by her parents, helped Reba work
her way up to the top the old-fashioned way -- by earning it. "Everything I've done in my career is a result of growing up
in rural Oklahoma, because if I hadn't had the training from Mama and Daddy to work hard, to do what I'm told, to take directions,
to mind and to do a good job at anything I set out to do, then I wouldn't be where I am today," she says.
I've always wanted to do something for Reba! This is our way of giving something
back to the person who's given so much to so many! But, we can't do it without your help! Please perchase one of our items
and help us give something back to such a wonderful and deserving person!!