In order for me to identify the standards that are most
important in my life I first analyzed my personal beliefs and their origins. It is my hope that I can offer a glimpse into
the elements responsible for making me the individual I am today. I have had the distinct privilege of coming from
a loving, caring, nurturing family. I am
fortunate to have parents that have been married for almost forty years. In my life I strive to be honest, honorable,
trustworthy, respectful, loving, and kind.
I give my parents all of the credit for how I developed. They always pushed me to be achieve more than
them. To challenge myself and become the
best at whatever path I chose. I owe a
lot of credit to my wife and son as well for giving me a sense of purpose and direction
in life.
Growing up with three other brothers, my family didn’t have
a lot. I was born in the New York City
borough of the South Bronx. If you can
imagine a community enthralled in utter devastation, poverty, and crime then
you can imagine the community I was born in.
Abandoned buildings, graffitied subways, and cars set ablaze were a
common sight. In other words it was a
slum. In 1977 President Carter visited
the South Bronx and witnessed first-hand the plight and poverty that made up
this community. http://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com/2012/07/28/when-jimmy-carter-visited-the-south-bronx/
Thankfully my parents realized that this was no place to
raise children. They moved us to Florida
with the hope that we could live a better life.
Those first five years of my life left indelible images in my mind. Not everyone knows what it is like to live in
a building infested with rats and cockroaches.
To worry about the gang violence and drug dealers that infested our city
like a plague. Fortunately my son will
never have to experience such a scenario.
Do I feel I could have had a positive, successful future given my
environment? Not for a
micro-second. At that time, in that era,
that place was hell on Earth.
Moving to Florida gave me and my family opportunities I most
certainly would never have had in New York.
I owe so much to my parents for giving us those opportunities that I try
to honor them as much as I can. I feel I
am doing so by raising my family the way I was raised. With unconditional love and nurturing. To illustrate my point, had it not been for
moving to Florida, who knows if I would even still be alive?
My parents were not well educated. My mother has a junior high school education
(there was no middle school then). My
father served our country in the Korean War at the age of 18 and has a high
school education. I am the first in my
family to graduate from college let alone attempt a Master’s degree. To see the pride in my parent’s eyes at my
achievements drives me to want to achieve greatness. I know that I am fortunate. I make no assumptions about the fact that
some people are not as fortunate as myself to have both of their parents in
their lives, to have values instilled at a young age that carry through to
adulthood. It is because of my mother
and father that I hold my standards at such an elevated level. My values are a direct reflection of the job
they did as parents. For that, I am
eternally grateful for them. Although we
never had a lot growing up, we always had food to eat and a roof over our
heads. My parents taught me the meaning
of hard work and how it pays off in the end.
Had it not been for my mother and father driving me to further my
education I may never have attempted college.
It wasn’t until I met my wife Candi, that I had a true
purpose in life. My values didn’t change
so much as I grew older but I do believe they were finally given a
purpose. Having Candi made me want to be
a better man. For example, she drove me
to finish not only my associate’s but my bachelor’s degree. She encouraged me and supported me
emotionally. She has been a positive
driving force in my life. We were
married in August of 2010. Soon after
celebrating our one year anniversary we learned we would be welcoming an
addition to our family. In March of 2012
Caiden was born! I’ve always wanted to
be a father because of how great mine is.
I always emulated my father and wanted to be just like him. A provider, a nurturer, and a positive
soul. Becoming a dad is something I
always dreamt of. I often think “What
can I do to make Caiden’s future better?
How can I better provide for my family?”
For the first time in my life I think more about the future than I do
about the present and most certainly more than my past. I owe it all to my standards. I owe it all to my family. I think of how blessed I am and I count those
blessing daily.
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