Sandra Lee Augustin Mitchell:  

Hi! School was really hard for me as I had my 4 younger brothers to raise, along with a very abusive father; my mother died suddenly when I was 8. At school, I felt "safe".. All of you made my life better just by accepting me. My grades showed that I didn't have the time to put into schoolwork. Marching band was my true passion. I could do something good by myself and with the rest of the bank. Mr. Erdman knew my mother so he made things harder. I saw him & his wife at a family funeral. I didn't date much. Job's Daughters helped me a lot as I gained confidence. Public speaking was another skill. We were known for our striving for excellence; not that any of us was perfect. I married, had 3 daughters & 4 grand-children + 2 great-grand-daughters. I've been re-married 7+ yrs. now. School was a lot of hard work; but it taught me lessons I still use today. We can't go back so we have to learn from what happened. I'm a "survivor", not a victim. I took control of my life and built on the ashes. My father was an equal opportunity bigot: he hated everyone -- especially women. What he meant to my harm, God turned to my blessing. Its all about how we look at things. I prefer the positive. My father chose negative. It, also, did me good...Expand for more