Out of all of the places to live in this world, my mother chose Milwaukee, Wisconsin to reside.  I was just 12 years old when I woke up instantly by my thoughts before falling asleep, about the beauty that I would see upon arrival into a town that I had heard so much about but had never seen until that night.  I was so over joyed at the beauty of the bright lights that gleamed ever so brightly against the deep dark skies of which were illuminated by the bright lights' glory.  I was home at last.  I felt that I could enjoy all of the things that I had heard so much about even greater because I had become the city's own.  I was a true Milwaukeean.

That vision will forever be etched onto the walls of my memory.  I have loved this city since the night I laid eyes on it's awesome beauty.  The crisp cool air in the spring, as the remnants of the left over snow so lightly covers the still chilled grounds on and over which it lay.  It is almost always hard to catch a spring when there is no snow in this place.  However, the joy of the onset of a hot summer keeps most Milwaukeeans happy still  by casting out all of the struggles of the winter months that has passed before it.

It is not hard to enjoy this place that I call home.  Milwaukee has its festivals and many different cultural background driven celebrations throughout the year.  But the summer months bring about a different aroma when the celebration that we call Summer Fest takes place.  The city just goes wild at the thought of the many different people from all over the world visiting our hometown.  Meeting new people is what this city is about.  It is through the forging of new relationships that continues to keep Milwaukee flourishing as our corporate owned and privately owned businesses just keep growing making my hometown one of the greatest in the nation for people of any background to reside in.

To visit Milwaukee is to taste the cream pies that are a famous must have when visiting our State Fair Park during August.  We have so many festivals, too many to name, and they all end with a bang of fireworks.  This leaves many of us with respiratory flare ups, but a joy just the same.

As a child, I could only imagine such fun because of the fact that there was none of this going on in that other small town.  But I am so happy that my children have gotten the chance to take part in all of the greatness that this city has to offer.  It used to be the best schools that I would pray that my kids could attend but now it is a different hope.  Since my children have gotten to take part in all of the things that I could only dream about as a child, I pray everyday for them to take part in the best employment as well as continuing education opportunities that this city has to offer.  And on many level our continuing education programs and Colleges/Universities for life-long-learners are  some of the best institutions in the nation.  This I am proud of.  This is one of the reasons that my mother moved me here.  Taking part in furthering my education has been a dream that I know would have been out of my reach if I were not a Milwaukeean.  Simply because the small town that I moved from did not offer all of the opportunities that Milwaukee does.  Great move on my mother's part and I will forever love her for loving me enough to relocate.

My hometown has it's ups and downs, the good and the bad, however, I am so happy to be a Milwaukeean.  After all, we still have the Bucks, The Brewers, The Admirals and even though the Packers are in Green Bay, we still have them as well.  These are some of the things that help to make my hometown the best and most beautiful place on earth to live.  And the fact that I am not happy living any place else makes Milwaukee a keeper.

Now to see my children and my children's children enjoying the things that I could only dream about when I was a kid is so liberating.  The joy in their hearts and the smiles on their faces is enough to keep a grandmother smiling for the rest of my life.  Yes it took me a while to understand the fullness of the place that I call home.  But the journey was well worth it.  It took me moving to another state twice for me to understand that Milwaukee was the only place that I would rather be.  That and the fact that we have on of the best health care systems set in place, in the world.  I have too many illnesses to feel comfortable allowing doctors that do not have the proper equipment to work with to doctor on me.  Milwaukee's health care is the bomb!!!

Out of all of the reasons that I have shared for me taking great pride in and loving this place called Milwaukee, the place that I have called home for over 34 years of my life, the greatest is that I found peace from the people that hurt me when they should have been protecting me from that and any other kinds of pain in my life.  But for so many years, that was never the case  I was in prison within my mind and keeping those secrets just did not seem like my secrets anymore. You see, my father was never around this created free access to me as a young girl in a family of pedophiles to be gotten to by those that did set out to hurt me.   Milwaukee saved my life in more ways that one. I am so proud to say that my hometown in Milwaukee.  I live in a great place, mentally and physically.  Proud to be a Milwaukeean!