My Tennessee Roots

Hello to all of you TLC'ans! I am Jerri Holland, one of the newer additions to the billing department here at TLC Medical. I started with TLC back in January of this year as a temp, and I am now a permanent member of the TeamTLC staff. And the blessings just keep coming!

I was born and raised in west Tennessee. Ever heard of Ripley, TN? What about Henning, TN? Probably not :-) Well, it takes about 10 minutes to drive straight through both towns put together! Henning is the childhood home of Alex Haley, the author of the acclaimed book "ROOTS," which was also made into a TV mini-series (who could ever forget that). The home that he grew up in is now The Alex Haley Museum. And...Tina Turner also grew up in that neck of the woods, but she chooses to use the much fancier town name of "Nutbush" as the place where she grew up. Ha, she's not fooling us West Tennesseans though. As far as Ripley, well...I went to high school there because frankly, Henning didn't have one. We DID have churches, though. And I thank God and my family for the exposure I had as a child to Sunday school and worship service and singing in the church choir and vacation bible school and revival. Back then, it seemed like torture being dragged to church 24/7...and we couldn't even take cat naps during the sermon. How cruel was that? Now, I truly cherish that torturous upbringing! After graduating from high school in 1990, I went on to college with a full presidential scholarship for academics at Tennessee State University in Nashville. There, I quickly learned how to party in the big city instead of how to actually "go" to my classes and take my studies seriously. Unfortunately folks, what I learned the hard way after two years was how to FLUNK out!

Some years later in 2000 (still not taking life as seriously as most), I moved to Texas with hopes of leaving all of the "junk in the trunk" behind. I did well and was even blessed with the cutest, smartest, funniest little girl I've ever met in my life! However, the lack of close family and God in my life proved to be quite hazardous for my health. So after almost six years of simply living without a purpose, I packed up our bags and instead of moving to Beverly Hills, we moved back home. Tennessee. Where my heart is. Where all of those wonderful values that were instilled in me as a child still resonate. Where my roots are. And the blessings just keep on coming!

Going back to school is high on my agenda these days. At 36 years old, I find myself asking the question, "What does God want me to be now that I've grown up?" Well, I am waiting patiently for his revelation because I know in my heart of hearts that he has not finished with me yet. On Sundays, I take the opportunity to go to church and indulge in the gospel. In my leisure, I enjoy spending time with my daughter Amari (Tootie), big sister Stephanie (Steph) and nephew Michael (Mike-Mike). I like to lift a few weights here and there, and I also like playing volleyball, softball and a bit of tennis. These days, it's about keeping it simple. One day at a time.

Being surrounded by strong individuals with strong minds who are strong in their faith is one of those AWESOME blessings that I keep mentioning. Again, I thank God for my family which now includes everyone at TLC . What I try to remember on a daily basis is "that by living fully, recognizing that all we do is by his power, we honor God; He in turn blesses us." PEACE.