Coming to America

I'm an Immigrant from S. Jorge, Azores. I came to America in 1959, I was 19 years old, married and had 4 years of grammar education. I raised 3 children who were involved in Luso and in Portuguese philharmonic band---thanks to the efforts of other immigrants who created those opportunities for them. I am also a grandmother of five grandchildren. Several years ago I felt the need to share with all the children, my childhood memories from a life so different from theirs. I started to write down some notes, which led me to a writing class and ultimately I gathered those notes and stories, and here they are..... in my book "COMING TO AMERICA, AN IMMIGRANT'S VOYAGE." My love for literature was limited to read, read and then read some more. The love of reading was instilled in me at an early age by my mom and grandmother. They read me stories from books borrowed from our parish priest, because of a lack of libraries, magazines etc.... I love books. Books have been my best friends. They have been my source of faith, courage, and inspiration. I hope my book inspires others to write their stories. If I can do it with my limited education, anybody can do it. If we wait until we acquire all the knowledge and education until we do something, we'll never do anything. Iyanla Vazant, is an inspiration speaker and she wrote: "It is important that we share our experiences with other people. Your story will heal you and your story will heal someone else. When you tell your story, you free yourself and give others permission to acknowledge their own story." Final Words Live your Dream 165Coming to America Whatever you goal and desire is, keep doing what you love. Write a book-become a school teacher-become a doctor- Climb Mount Everest. Keep that dream alive, only you can reach that mountain top. "Every mountain top is within reach---If you just keep climbing." Gaze at the high point---It is yours to conquer. Writing a book takes time and dedication. It also takes an immense amount of support and encouragement, without which it would be impossible to achieve. I want to thank all those who supported me throughout my journey. To all those that have walked with me side by side encouraging me all the way through, Thank You