I stood outside, patiently waiting for the activity bus to arrive. My body was exhausted from doing volleyball drills, I just wanted to go home and rest. That is when I heard a familiar voice coming from the parking lot, it was my mother. We lived 45 minutes from town and I knew something was wrong for her to make the trip in to pick me up. As I walked over my gut wrenched into a ball. The possibilities of things she could say ran threw my mind and sent my world spinning. The solemn look on her face grew clearer as I started walking closer, my mother 's lips moved but the words didn 't register at first, then the message finally got through, parents were getting a divorce. The drive to my grandma house was only 20 minutes from my school, but it literally felt like a lifetime. The car was packed full of clothes and other valuables, My brother and i sat squished in the back, quiet as my mother made phone calls. We had nothing more than the clothes that surrounded us and my mothers single paycheck. This is the day that changed my life, and would play a big role in the person I would become.
My parents used to argue a lot when I was a kid, constant yelling and screaming was an everyday occurrence. Fueled by alcohol and anger my Dad was ruthless. I used to listen to the arguing in our old thin walled ranch house, it seemed my mother was always crying. My father would accuse her of cheating trying to cover his own infidelities and keep my mother as a mental prisoner. He had an
This was my third straight year participating in the New York City - City Challenge Obstacle Race that takes place on and around Randalls Island Park and both starts and finishes in the historic Icahn Stadium. I was raised in the upper East side of Manhattan and the walking bridge to Randalls Island Park a short walk for my friends and I, so we spent many days walking over the walking bridge and getting in trouble on Randalls Island Park, so this venue and race always bring back those good childhood memories.
7th grade was the year I woke up. My mom called me into her bedroom late one afternoon and was still sitting on her bed, wearing her pajamas. The bright and cheerful sunshine that lit up the room gave a false ambiance of the tension that clouded the air. I already knew what she was going to say, but I did not want to believe it as the truth. I had noticed that my mom and dad's relationship with one another was growing apart just by the way they acted around each other. The conversations between them became shorter and their affection for one another began to fade. My dad spent his nights falling asleep watching TV on the couch, while my mom slowly disappeared back into her bedroom, alone. This had been happening for a while now, so I do not know why I was even surprised when my mom said to me that, “Your dad and I are getting a divorce”. I should have seen it coming. The clues were all in front of me, but I was too afraid to put them together. I was scared because, for the first time in my life, the image of my "perfect" family was crumbling before me. I knew inside that my family was falling apart, but I was desperately holding onto the fibers that I thought were keeping us together. It is hard to believe that one encounter can change the course of one's life forever. In this instance, I was awoken from the dream that I had been living in for so long.
“A Journey” is a short story written by Colm Tóibín in 2006. The story follows Mary who picks up her twenty-year-old son David from a hospital. The car ride home is not only a journey in itself but becomes a ride of memories. A ride that through flashbacks shows Mary her journey of life which gets her to start reflecting on the decisions and choices she has made in the past. It is about acceptance. Accepting your life as it is or turned out without looking back and that is the key to start looking forward instead.
September 27th 2009. I was on my dad’s weekend and my mom was in the hospital for a weeks. I would visit her every day and sometimes bring her flowers. But on september 27th I woke up and walked into my living room and my dad was sitting on the couch looking sad. I asked what was wrong and then a knock was heard on the door it was my step dad and half brother. My step dad had puffy eyes he was crying. He told me to sit down and my brother came out and sat next to me. My dad looked at us and he spoke up your mother had just passed this morning. I was shocked I was hurt I was scared.I didn’t know if i should cry or run away. I’ve learned that losing someone you love is tough.
I don’t remember most of my parent’s marriage and most of the memories I do have of them being together, they were always arguing. I was in 3rd grade when the arguing started. Being so young, I always thought my parents were happy and that they would stay together forever, as every child thinks. In the beginning, they never fought in front of my brother and I and they seemed perfectly fine in front of us. But as the year continued on, they fought
Through the course of my pre-pubescent years, my mother and father would always argue. The fighting was not so frequent at first, but it eventually was a daily occurrence. The arguments were so intense and rapid that I could not comprehend what they were arguing about. We, as a family, would not genuinely do anything together anymore. As a result, I spent a
This paper will detail the journeys of my life that lead to my marker moments. Each marker was born out of a circumstance or ah-ha moment. A moment that opened my mind and heart and branched out towards the path of leadership in my life. There are three that I will speak about for the purpose of this paper although there are many more. The three that stand out the most are my first trip to Jamaica, Transitioning into Christianity and Returning to School in that order.
Life is a journey filled with lessons, hardships, heartaches, joys, celebrations and special moments that will ultimately lead us to our destination, our purpose in life. The road will not always be smooth; in fact, throughout our travels, we will encounter many challenges.
As a very small child I don’t remember too much, but the things that I do remember were seen through a child’s eyes that has made me the person that I am today and I will always have those memory’s with me until my last breath on this earth. In this essay I intend to show how my childhood and adult life to this point has influenced my life, my journey. By utilizing the adult development theories from this class I also intend on showing how they relate to my Life experiences and where I am today as an Adult student.
My life thus far has brought me through many journeys. The experiences I had disciplined me so much, I don't even know where to start. I am content for all the lessons I have learned through these experiences. God is my everything and is the only reason for this life. He has showed me the meaning of many things and is directing me to the right path.
For the past 37 years my life has been anything but easy. I think most people can sympathize, to a degree. I am a middle child, with two older brothers and a one younger brother. We have an immense age gap; my older brothers are 15 years older than me and my youngest brother is 7 years younger. I grew up in a split family and bounced between my parents. I changed schools more times than I can count but still managed to graduate high school, start a career and a family, and achieve some degree of success. The saying “you are a product of your environment” does not ring true with me; you must go out and earn respect and success. Only you can achieve your goals.
God opens doors and he opens doors for people who never believed they could be used by Him for his glory. He took me and literally ripped the doors off the hinges. In Proverbs 16:19 it says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” After 6 months of fundraising, planning, and even along the way doubting, I flew out April 14, 2014 to Jamaica. This trip completely changed my life from the traveling experience, to what I did there, and to the things people taught me there that I will never forget. In one week God completely wrecked my world.
My story begins at the age of six. I am standing in my school uniform with a stain on my shirt from the ice cream my mother gave me on the ride there. My little sister, Gianni, lay in hospital bed staring at the polysterene tiled ceiling. There was nothing much else to look at save the cheap print of an uplifting pastel on the opposite wall. The air had a stagnant smell of bleach and sickness. My parents paced back and forth occasionally glancing forced reassuring smiles to my sister. We heard a moan on the adjacent bed through the cubicle curtains. My sister began to cry. Panicking, I ran to her bedside and started singing Jesus Loves the Little Children a song I learned in Bible school the Sunday before. I look at my grandmother and she gives me a reassuring nod from across the room. My sister gives me a hug and drifts off to sleep. The doctors come a bit later and take her away.
It was a beautiful Monday morning. The dew on the grass and the smell of fresh flowers made everything appear great, except for the fact that my mom wasn’t feeling well. I knew something was wrong, because she’s never sick. She is the type to deal with pain and not bother anyone about it, so when she said she was skipping work, I got worried. She told me to get ready for the bus, but I refused. I needed to help her. I was an only child and my dad died when I was younger. If I left her, she’d be all alone. I gave her some Aspirin for her headache, suggested she lie down, and told her I wasn’t going to leave her side. She demanded (in her quiet, kind voice) that I must go to school. I didn’t want to argue with her, so I finished getting ready and walked down to my bus stop. As I was waiting for the bus, I felt a sense of concern. “Should I be leaving?” I thought. As the bus approached, I stood up tall, took a deep breath and hoped that this day would get better.
I just entered 9th grade in Hampton Bays High School. I enjoy playing soccer and I love photography, I think that it’s such a beautiful art. Before I came to Hampton Bays I was from East Hampton. Entered Hampton Bays towards the end of 8th grade. I learned a lot about transferring schools. I learned in many ways from negative to positive. People would always tell me that people in Hampton Bays were nice that I should be happy. That just entered from one ear and left right through the other. Now I have started to learn that I should be happy about starting a new chapter in my life. Because moving from place to place doesn't always have to be towards the negative, it can always be towards the positive. I think that everyone who has taken part of my journey in my life is part of who I am. People that I am close with, or not and just have only spoken to them once. I learn from them knowing what is right and what is not. No matter who the person is I learned something about them. That’s what I think makes me who I am, learning from others.