Phenomenal Woman, Karitsa!

My name is Karitsa, my nickname is Kary (pronounced in Spanish, Kah-dee).
I am one of three children and a middle child. My family is my world. I am a Jersey girl, born and raised by the shore, now living in South Jersey. I have been teaching for ten years. I decided to become an educator because I love children and I love learning! I am a wife and a stepmom to a six year old little boy. I am many things, but my proudest role has been a recent one, I am a new mommy.

My daughter is three months young and my greatest love. She came during the most difficult time in my life. When I was seven months pregnant, I lost my father. It was and still is the most painful experience of my life. I was a daddy’s girl. My mother always accused me of loving him more than I love her. That is not true, there’s just something really special between a father and his daughter/s. I thought I wouldn’t be able to withstand the pain of losing him. It was almost unbearable.

My father had been sick for many years. I was blessed to have him walk me down the aisle. I cried our whole father daughter dance because I was so thankful that God had answered my prayer of him being there on my big day. When I found out that I was pregnant, I knelt down and asked God to please let my father see my baby, his first grandchild. All I needed was two more months for that second prayer to come true.

My daughter has helped me cope with my loss. She has brought me happiness in the midst of my pain. When she smiles at me, my whole world feels right. I love just walking past her and seeing how excited she gets to see me. I love her so much. I realize that’s how my dad must’ve felt about me.

I was scheduled to go back to work at the end of this month. However, I have decided to stay home with my daughter until the following school year. It is something I debated since I brought her home because I knew that it will require us to make adjustments to our lifestyle. However, if anything is worth the sacrifice, it is this. I will never get this time back with my daughter. She will only be this little for a short time. If I have learned anything from losing my father, it is that the time you have with your loved ones is precious and truly a gift. Once that time is gone, it’s gone forever. So I stepped out in faith, and wrote a letter to my school district that I will see them… in September! Every time my baby does something new or I see how she’s growing, I know this was the best decision that I have ever made.

One reason that I decided to start this blog was for women to celebrate how fabulous we are and for us to inspire one other. Karitsa continues to inspire me in many ways! From her unconditional love for her family and amazing faith to her recent decision to be a (temporary) SAHM! It is my hope that her story is an inspiration to others too!