Jubilee

Hi, I’m Jubilee Jenkins and everyone calls me JJ on account of the fact that my mom seems to think she looks like Florida Evans. You know, from that TV sitcom Good Times. Only reason I know who she is is because we still watch the show on YouTube. I don’t think my mom looks like her but since it’s already in her head, there’s no way that I can get it out. That’s something she’s gotta take care of on her own. She’s all the time telling me “Jubilee, the only one that can make a difference in your life outside of God is You!” Won’t do me any good to give her back her own words; believe me, I’ve tried and all she had to say was “I’m the one who gave you those words”. Other than thinking my mom could turn her whole life around if she only listened to her own words, I believe she’s one of the best mom’s out there and I love her. Now my daddy, he loves my mom something fierce. It’s so real that when I picture myself with a husband, he’s all the things I love in my dad and more. That thinking I told you about that limits my mom when she talks about herself totally changes when she’s talking about my daddy. That’s how I know that what she says about herself is part of her struggle to overcome.

My daddy is an educated black man who’s had his own struggles in today’s society. But every day I wake up, I see him love my mom, me and my two brothers like the world outside our doors no longer exist as long as his family is together. Yes, I am my daddy’s “baby girl” and I’m not ashamed to admit it. If you asked my brothers they’d say that he’s hard on us because we’ve never been able to get away with what our friends have been able to get away with. Mom says that’s because he’s teaching us that our actions have consequences. And some of our friends parents won’t allow them to feel the effects of their negative actions. All in all, I’m glad he’s my dad and I love him. Now, if only I can get him on board with helping my mom change her thought patterns about herself, that would be wonderful. He says when he fell in love with her that included her mindset about herself. One day though…

Now my brothers, one older and one younger, think of themselves as players. You know what that means, neither one of them has a girlfriend. Don’t get me wrong, they are handsome young men, but the way these girls throw themselves at a brother, I wouldn’t call them my girlfriend either. My older brother says he’s setting the bar high so my younger brother can learn to be different from the guys he hangs out with and wait for a good woman who’s wife material that he can love wholeheartedly. I agree with that until they start in on me and the guys I like. You don’t know how many times I’ve had my phone calls screened, doors slammed in the guys face and heard flat out “No Jubilee, you can’t date him!” This from my brothers, even though we’re triplets, they are worse than parents but I love them too. I believe one day they will have really good women in their lives who will love them beyond belief – and that’s a good thing.

Coming up next: Part 2