When I was three years old I had been living with my mother In a one bedroom one bathroom apartment. My mother is a single parent that is hardworking and sometimes goes without in order to make sure I am content to make sure I have a successful live. My father would make an effort to be there but ultimately it was only for a short period of time before he would fall off. To this day he continues to the same routine so unfortunately I consider him a in and out dad. As a result my mother had to be the mother and father over me.
Regardless she has had a major influence and impact over me as the head of the household was not absent out of my life. Although I did not have a father figure in my house my uncle and pawpaw picked up the responsibility and mentored me when I was a boy up to now. There influence on me was so great I considered them my fathers and I can always count on them to be there. As time went by my mom eventually married my step dad that seemed to be larger then life. He was everything I wanted in my life and I thought I would actually have a male figure in my home.
Two years later my brother Evan was born and now I have two brothers including my younger step brother Nehemiah. For a awhile all seemed right with the world. Like all good things that relationship came to an end. That experience left me torn and confused. And as the time went by that confusion turned into anger. And with anger I grew to resent my step dad and my biological dad for all the wrong they caused me but more so to my mother. I didn’t want anybody to realize how I felt about it because I didn’t want my family to worry about and if they asked at the time I probably wouldn’t be able to keep myself together.
All that anger and emotions I felt and buried would reveal itself at a very special event I will never forget. During the end of my sophomore year I had applied and was accepted to the Steve Harvey mentoring program. The Steve Harvey mentoring program was a program where young men that had no father figures could come and learn the true values of being a man. They also teach important values including leadership, trustworthiness, honesty, and integrity. The camp lasted only a week but that week would change my persepective on things and put me on a metal course that I have never been on before.
The second to last day we were there Steve Harvey was talking about how we could never live a happy,prosperous and faithful life without forgiveness. Which meant that in order to have the best life we have to choose to forgive our fathers. At the end of the seminar the mentors had all the boys come together in one big group and we explained to the mentors why we resented our fathers. At the end of it all before we left we witnessed an incredible site. Everybody had felt victims to there emotions they had trapped within them for years not caring about who was watching.
One by one young men started crying like two year old boys and they couldn’t help it. I tried to tough it out but I couldn’t take it anymore and I was bawling like a little boy too. That experience would be trapped into my head forever. That was the ffirst time I had really let my feelings out like that. The camp on itself was a blessing aside from the emotional relief it was a fun experience. I made life time friends and I had a chance to see my heroes and role models face to face.
People like Isaac caree, Emmett smith, and Steve Harvey of course along with some other athletics and well known people were there too. To say the least it was the best experience I had every had and given the choice, I would do it all over again. I thought that that would be the most special thing that would happens but little did I know one more blessing and bigger responsibility would come my way. Towards the end of my junior year I had been informed that a teacher had been notated to do some mentoring for a program raider two raider he program started my senior and I have the responsibility to mentor oncoming freshmen.
That was just another blessing that I would more then gladly accept. But later as I thought about this came to the conclusion that with all that has happened, I am a compassionate a caring person that’s meant to help people through the same struggle. And as I reflect and reminance what’s happened in my life I can’t help but smile, laugh and give thanks to the one who made this possible because those trials and bumps in the road shape me to who I am today.