By: Brittney Mangum
Reporter
“Always put God first and trust Him,” advised Brandy Stanwood. “Have faith, and He will help you through all the tough times.”
Brandy Stanwood has always done her best to maintain her faith, even in the difficult times she has faced. One of the most difficult seasons of her life began in 2018 when her grandmother, grandfather, and dad all passed away in less than a year of each other. She is able to see how God was able to help her through such a tough season in her life, and it has only increased her faith since then.
Although she feels blessed and is thankful to still have her mom with her, Brandy was always very close with her dad. He instilled a strong work ethic in her as he raised her, and he taught her the skills she would need in life. Among those, was to receive an education and reach for her dreams. She did just that and chose to be wise and slowly enter a field that she had dreamt of working in: nursing.
“I grew up in Stonewall and was raised by my daddy, Jeff Robinson. I went to school at Quitman. I didn’t graduate, but I got my GED right after leaving the school,” recalled Brandy. “I went through the CNA program and received my certification there. I really wanted to be a nurse, but I wanted to start from the bottom to see if I liked it before I went the whole way. The job part was fine. I was working in Meridian at Rush, and the first patient I had die was someone local from here. I realized then that I could not do it at all. I’m just too tenderhearted.”
Once she decided that nursing wasn’t for her, she immediately found other employment. She has diligently worked over the years and has recently taken on a new position at the courthouse.
“After that, I worked for Attorney Peter Smith here in town for six years. I started by cleaning his office, and then I was a file girl, and then a position opened up as a secretary. Then, I worked for Jim Crapse. I started at the Archusa Quick Stop and then moved up to the Tobacco Store. I worked there for 15 years until he retired. After he retired, a lot of things changed, and I eventually quit,” expressed Brandy. “I tried working at a few jobs after that, including Dollar General and a daycare here in town. Then, Angie Gibbs called from the courthouse and told me she had an opening and asked if I was still interested. I started working as the Deputy Clerk for the Chancery Clerk’s office on August 23.”
Along with being a hard worker, Brandy has a family that she loves. She and her husband decided to homeschool their son, and they have found a way for them to make sure he attains a great education at home while they are able to both work full time jobs.
“My husband and I have a nine year old child, Deegan, that we homeschool. My husband works for the City of Quitman, and I work at the courthouse. He goes home at four, and I go home at five. We bombard schoolwork, dinner, and everything all at one time,” explained Brandy. “Our son will stay with my mom during the day, and I give him some stuff to do during the day that I know he can already do. He pretty much does homework during the day and then does his lessons in the evenings. This is our second year homeschooling. He’s in the fourth grade now, and he’s doing great.”
When she is not working or spending time with her family, Brandy enjoys attending church and growing in her faith. She likes to stay involved with anything the church does, and her servant’s heart prompts her to volunteer in the church whenever she sees that there is a need.
“I like anything to do with church. We attend Pleasant Ridge Pentecostal Holiness Church,” stated Brandy. “I have a servant’s heart and try to do whatever I can to help at church. I’ll volunteer to clean the church and will do whatever the church needs.”
While she typically stays busy, Brandy does have things that she enjoys doing when she has any free time. She loves crafts and will always try to do new things; however, one craft that she loves was actually taught to her by her family when she was very young.
“I crochet almost all the time. I can read patterns. I’ve made vests, I’ve made hats, and I’ve made headbands. I’ve made a My Little Pony unicorn hat with the braided tassels that come down. I’ve made diaper covers,” declared Brandy. “I just read a pattern or follow it on YouTube. My mama and grandma both taught me how to crochet, so I learned that from a young age. They taught me how to read the patterns. Some people go by graphs, but I haven’t studied those enough to figure them out yet.”
Another craft that she does well with is painting. She generally has a small idea to start with and then just goes in whatever direction she feels led while painting the picture. While some may not always understand exactly what she is painting, she has learned through experience that the person it is meant for always recognizes and understands a deeper meaning to the painting.
“A friend of mine asked me to paint her something. She told me to just paint her something, and I wasn’t sure what she wanted. I just painted this thing where there was like angel wings and hair, but there wasn’t really any detail on the face,” informed Brandy. “I finished painting it and gave it to her, and you would’ve thought it was the most wonderful thing to her. Her mother died when she was a baby, and she said the picture made her think of her mom. Other people who have seen the picture asked if it was a bird and didn’t know what it was. Whenever I gave it to the person it was supposed to go to, she saw it as her mom as an angel.”
With each day that goes by, anyone who visits the Chancery Clerk office in the courthouse will be able to enjoy the kindness that Brandy shows each person she meets. She is very humble and soft-spoken, but she will do whatever she can to aid a person in need.
