Is The Power Of God?

Although we did not regularly attend church, I was introduced to the Christian faith as a child and hold those values. I was raised by my grandparents as my father left my mother before I was born and life’s

One weekend, we had decided to clean out the house to surprise my mother. My father found papers stashed away that revealed theft charges; my mother had stolen medication when she substituted for the nurse in my elementary school. I remember my dad scouring the house for more evidence, even finding a stash of pill bottles under their mattress. She had another court date coming up that he learned about, just a few weeks before a family trip to Disney. Shortly after that hearing, my family took our last vacation as a whole, knowing that a key member would be lost to us the Monday after our return; she was going into work-release for two months. Before the end of those sixty days, my father learned that my mother had been unfaithful. Their marriage ended, and at eleven and nine, my sister and I said what we didn't realize would be goodbye to our mother for a great while. Her drug abuse continued, and months of time would pass between visits. We saw that sweet, ideal mother devolve into an addict. This loss has shaped me greatly, and it has taught me integrity, strength of character, and great love for others; without these things, my mother cost herself her family and

At the age of fourteen Bonnie Phillips, (my grandfathers daughter) had moved out with her boyfriend Michael James Coyle because she was pregnant. My grandfather tried to get her to stay home, but my mother wouldn’t. My mother then had my brother at the age of fifteen, then later at the age of eighteen was having me in 1997. I really knew my grandfather that well because of this situation. I seen him every once

There have been countless influential people in my life that I’ve come across. One who was a meticulous inspiration continues to be my grandfather. My grandmother had remarried to the one I call “grandpa” when I was at the age of five, and they both took to each other’s grandchildren as their own. With my mother and me only living a mile down the road from their farmhouse out in the country, I’d spent heaps amount of time there as a child. Indeed, I had been without a father but my grandfather stepped up to the plate and had taken me under his wing and willingly played the personification of a father figure.

In 1912 a child was born his name was Everett Babcock (1912-1974), he eventually would become my grandfather. In 1937 he would marry my grandmother, Mary McFarland (1910-1969) and they would have 3 children Everett Babcock (1937-2017) my father, Edna Mae (1940-2004), and Thomas (1944-2008). Everett worked as an auto mechanic and Mary as a beautician to support and provide for their 3 children. In 1969 Mary was diagnosed with colon cancer and die a short time later, 5 years later in 1974 my grandfather would be diagnosed with lung cancer but would suffer a heart attack and die. Since I was still a young child and didn’t live close to my paternal grandparents I don’t remember what the relationships were like. The most I remember is when we

Florence and Isabella were the most welcoming residents at the Mary Manning Walsh Home. Florence and I always played bingo with each other and would usually win. I would take her to her room telling her what it’s like at Xavier High School. Florence found it great that Xavier makes us do Christian Service and she recommends all of us to come to the Mary Manning Walsh Home. She stood out to me because she was always open. Florence made it easy to be open with her after she told her story about herself. She was so kind and always had a smile on her face even if she was going through hard times. Florence would always pray for me and I remember to pray for her. Isabella was another woman I had a deep connection with. I learned a lot from this woman because she taught me to be more thankful in life. She told me to pray every night and to see God in everything. Isabella and I would talk a lot about religion but we talked about colleges as well. Most of her family went to Villanova including her and she would tell me about her college experience. This woman stood out to me because I feel I saw Jesus in her. Isabella seemed so close to Jesus and every time she was present to me, there was a spiritual feeling around her. With people like Isabella, there was agape love at Mary Manning Walsh Home with all the

The Risen One, The Sovereign King, the reason I'm alive today. Without God I would not be here to write this essay today. It started about two and a half years ago, my dad changed to a lower paying job and my mom had been out of work for about two years. We couldn’t pay rent and had to move. No one knew where we would go, but God had it all in control. Two and a half years of going from friends house to friends house, not being able to pay for the basic things and always being behind in an area where I used to be strong, lead to a lot of hurt, pain and depression. However, it also drew me closer and closer to God. Picture this, you're a fifteen year old girl who's used to everything going as planned and “BAM” out of nowhere the the diesel

They took me to a youth group at the Greenfield Church of Christ where I met the youth minister. At a time when I refused to eat and kept talking at an all time minimum, he took interest in me. He brought me my favorite food, cheese fries, in attempt of encouragement. Although I did not stay in Greenfield long, he and his family kept in touch with me once a week. When the respite family I had stayed with caught wind that I was in the hospital, they immediately requested that I return to stay with them. I came to know the love of Christ and became a Christian that same year. The people I now call mom and dad took the steps to become adoptive parents and I moved in with them the months to follow after returning to Greenfield.

I was born to a nondenominational Youth Pastor and a Medical Sales Representative on July 30, 1996 in a tiny town in the Philippines called Naga Growing up, I spent most of my time with my many cousins. There was always someone to play with and always something to do. When my dad got the opportunity to become the Head pastor at a church in Northern California he took it. In November of 2002 my mom quit her job, we packed up our belongings, said our goodbyes and moved to Fremont, California.

All of my grandparents were deceased by the time I was fourteen. I never knew my mother’s father because he died when she was young. His wife, Irene, played a crucial role in my early life. She would help my mom with feeding and other medical concerns when I was a premature

My grandfather in law, Ray Schmitt, had a true connection with me and my family. Even though he was not directly related, he always treated me and my family like his sons and daughters. He would always welcome us with smiles and even though he fought through hard times, like occasion strokes, he never forgot to put a big smile on his face. My mom said, “ He was a devoted family man to everyone, and he was devoted to the faith, and that showed in his actions.”

I have overcome many obstacles within my life and I am proud of where I am today. To start, my full name is Samantha Heart LeClair. I was brought into this world on December 21st 1995, in Kingston. I moved to Sydenham for four years at which time my family returned to Kingston. I have attended three elementary schools, two high schools and now two colleges. I am currently taking the Community Service Worker (CSW) program at Trillium College. In elementary school, I played soccer and basketball, and was involved with the track team. For extracurricular activities, I tried hip-hop dance classes, ballet classes and piano classes. My family is limited, but the ones who are an active part of my life mean the world to me. I was raised to believe family comes first and in the end, family will be there. Throughout my life journey, I have come to realize this is very accurate. My family consists of my mom, brother, stepdad and son. My mother is my best friend. She has always been there to support every decision and bring light on my dark days. My brother is three years older than I; we have had many falling outs, but he is still one of my closest friends. My stepdad (Dan) isn’t just a stepdad; he is my dad. Dan has been a better father figure than my biological father, which is why I consider him my actual father. It takes more than just creating a life to be a father; it takes good parenting, patience and love to be one. My son, Noah, is an amazing blessing. He is what

My parents had been married for thirty-four years as the time of her death. During that time, they raised three children and were the proud grandparents of six grandkids. No one had to guess where you stood with my mom – they knew. She gave love and showed compassion to anyone who allowed. Growing up, all of our friends called her “Mama T” because she mothered so many and her last name was Tatum.

I went from a single father to a wholesome family who actually ate dinner together and liked to hug and talk about their feelings. My world shifted upside down. This realization opened my eyes, and my heart. My father dying taught me to understand that many people with a hard outer shell are most likely being held back on the inside by something that has affected them. His death taught me to appreciate everyone and show kindness because that is what was shown to me during my time of need. My youthful family who adopted me, did not expect for me to feel like a part of a family or call them my parents. They got me counseling and showed me the affection that I needed to cope. Without these generous deeds, I would have crumbled. I believe whole heartedly that showing appreciation for those who also walk on this earth, like my parents did for me,will help anyone get through a rough day with a

One of my favorite parts about my granddad particularly was how he always had something inspiring to say to me every day to keep me going. Sometimes it feels like he’s still inspiring me today while in heaven. I believe I would be struggling more if I didn’t have him around when I was little. He was the only father that was there for me when needed most. I miss him all the time, but