If you have a minute please read. One of my kids has completely re-inspired me and our entire office. Happy Thanksgiving! Good evening, everyone and Happy Thanksgiving. My name is Isaac and I am 17 years old. I was born and raised in both Newark and Elizabeth and attend Fast Track Academy. I was asked to share my story because my life has had it’s ups and downs but I am always able to remain positive. Growing up was one big custody battle between my mother and father. I grew up between their two houses. It was not a positive environment and I was always talked down to by my father and was told I would never amount to anything. Luckily, my mom was always there to tell me she loved me and remind me that my name means laughter. A simple laugh was always a way to brighten my day. I can’t imagine a world without laughter. The past few month for me have been difficult. We lost our house in June and lived in a hotel. When the money ran out we ended up at the YMCA and stayed there until July. I was then moved into a foster home and my siblings were also split up. I’m not going to lie, I was depressed and struggling. In August things started to turn around. I got involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters and met new friends through the summer program. My friends Kevin and Kyle helped me if I was ever in need. I was able to talk to Kelly and Sean for advice and enjoyed to visiting the office. I also was introduced to my mentor and Big Brother Darren. Darren and I have a lot in common. We like the giants, we grew up in between houses, we had bad grades but then were able to turn our lives around. Darren is a med student and couldn’t be here tonight but I know he fully supports me and I look forward to having him as my big brother. He is someone I will be able to always talk to. Darren has taught me about consequences and I appreciate that. I have had a lot more struggles that I could talk about but want to focus on the positive. The first being my family. Having my little brother is the biggest thing that keeps me positive. He is five years old. He genuinely loves me and always gives me a huge hug and kiss. He looks up to me and tries to be like me. Just like me he’s in to skateboarding. He’s my little man. I am grateful that I can be there for him. I don’t know where I would be without family. I surround myself with people that lift me up and keep me moving forward. It is important to be around people that support you and not make you take backward steps. My next steps are to graduate high school and go to Lincoln Tech to pursue a career in automotive. I want to open my own shop. No one can tell me I won’t make it because my future is unwritten. Only I can decide if I fail or succeed. Today, I am choosing to succeed. For thanksgiving, be thankful for who you have in your life. Think about the positive moments because that will keep you going. As long as the Earth keeps spinning you should never give up. Remember the Earth spins forward and not backward. Be thankful, stay positive, and Happy Thanksgiving.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 19:43:57 +0000
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