Main Street Moms on the Move ~ November 2014
By TMoM Team Member Katie Moosbrugger
Every time I write this feature I get a jolt of inspiration to up my game as a mom, wife, friend, co-worker – you name it. Once again we highlight three amazing women from the Triad who are not only incredible moms but also extraordinary citizens. I hope you enjoy reading their features as much as I did interviewing them.
If you know of a mom who is doing wonderful things, please let us know. We’re also looking for Triad moms we can profile. Email me at Katie@TriadMomsOnMain.com.
Becky Johnston
If there’s one way to best describe Becky (and that’s not easy to do), it would be to say she has a great, big heart. Family and friends are dear to Becky, and it’s evidenced in everything she does.
She her husband, Dan, have two children: Elizabeth, age 8, and a foster baby who is not quite two. She and Dan have now had two foster placements and have provided respite care for two different children. Their current foster child has been with them for almost a year, and while Becky does not know what the future holds, she does know her role as a foster parent has been one of most important and most challenging. For more on Becky’s story as a foster parent, click HERE to read her guest post on TMoM.
An avid reader and writer, Becky began blogging in 2009 as means for dealing with her stepmother’s recurrence of cancer. She then created her personal blog You Can’t Make This Stuff Up to share her family life with friends and family near and far. Sadly, three years later, Becky’s father passed away unexpectedly, and just two days after that, her mother was diagnosed with dementia. It was the hardest year of Becky’s life, and understandably, her blog evolved into an outlet for her grief. “My writings became healing for me, and fortunately connected me with others who, too, were grieving. I have been amazed how many people have responded to my blog by in turn sharing ‘their’ story with me.”
In addition to reading, writing and mothering, Becky is active with her church and she also dabbles in photography and doodling (her Dad’s nickname for her was “Doodle”). She also loves to be social. “Dan and I both are never happier than when we’re entertaining in our home. Holiday gatherings, Happy Hours, or family dinners are where we find joy.”
Keri E. Scott
One of Keri’s greatest gifts is the ability to make others feel good. She took her love of de-cluttering and organizing and paired it with her gift of helping others to form her business Once Upon a Clutter. And now every day she feels rewarded herself.
A single mom to Aislyn, age 4, Keri works part time as Director of Communications & Community at the High Point Chamber when she is not busy growing her organizing business. In addition to organization, she helps clients with packing/unpacking, home staging, decorating and light cleaning.
“Being a mom is the most important role that I have. Doing what I love for a living allows me to experience the fullness of my role as a mom.” Her advice to other single moms working hard to balance family and work, Keri believe success is achievable when your passions and inspiration collide with what you do on a daily basis. “No matter what it is that you do in life, you should always make time for what fuels your passion.”
Keri loves living in High Point and as she gets to know and connect with other High Point residents, she understands and values the strength of community ties. In addition to her work/family life, Keri is a singer and an artist. She also loves to exercise and introduce new things to her daughter. “I love experiencing the world through her eyes. It’s important to remember that kind of tenderness in this fast-paced world.”
Tasha Dial, MD
Dr. Dial, a pediatrician with Cornerstone Health Care, may have been voted “Favorite Pediatrician” in the 2013 TMoM Choice Awards, but she is a winner among her patients and colleagues each and every day.
“It was such an honor to win the award,” she said, and jokingly added she thought her mom voted for her 100 times. “I’ve been told by my patients that they voted for me because I care about my patients and their entire family. I really like getting to know my families. I’m not just their child’s doctor, but an advocate for their child.”
Since a young age, Dr. Dial always knew she wanted to go into medicine after witnessing her twin sister battle meningitis. “I wanted to help children feel better and not have to spend a lot of time in and out of hospitals. I think that experience helped me become a very compassionate doctor,” she said. She also has a passion for families with children of special needs, adding that she understands first-hand how wonderful and challenging this can be for families.
She and her husband, Dekarlos, a podiatrist, have two children: Madison, age 7, and CJ, age 2.
“I tell parents every day that parenting is the hardest job that we do. Most of us, including myself worry constantly that our children are safe, healthy and happy. Are we doing a good job or making the right choices? I say all the time that 80 percent of what we do as pediatricians is offer reassurance.”
