Grandpa’s Hand: A Story of Struggle and Triumph

This story chronicles the life and struggles of a young woman who grew up in a rural community in coastal North Carolina. She turns challenges into opportunities after one powerful dream in which her deceased grandfather came to encourage her to "go back to school." When the dream occurred, she had dropped out of college after one year, got married, was the mother of a two-year old child and pregnant with a second child. She was in her mid-twenties at the time and was also dealing with the effects of a failing marriage. She had no concrete plans for her future and was fully aware that the future of her family was resting on her shoulders. She knew that if her children were to have lives with love and security, she would be responsible for providing them. While this was daunting to her, she knew that she had to move beyond these limiting thoughts and feelings; make and implement plans for her family to ensure their future. With her Grandfather's encouragement in the dream, she had the courage to do what needed to be done to make this happen and she did go back and finish school as she promised. Inspite of all of the challenges that she faced, she preservered and was able to complete undergraduate and graduate degrees while working full time and caring for her children alone. This story was written to encourage others to pursue their dreams and goals and not allow the circumstances of life to stand in the way of success. If you want your life to be a particular way, you will have to put forth the time and effort to make it happen; no excuses. Wishing you much success... Dr. Amanda Graham-Jacobs