If I ever become a statistic, the odds will always be in my
favor.
I’m a stubborn girl. I always have been and always will be.
I buck the system every chance I get because I have always wanted to be outside
of the norm. Normal is overrated. I am the odd ball, the loner and the awkward
one. I’m perfectly okay with that.
I’ve always had big dreams for my little boy but most
importantly, I just wanted him to succeed at life. I prayed for him from the
day he was born that he would become great and wonderful and every single
moment that passes with him, my prayers have been answered.
You probably think I boast and brag on him too much. So
what? What mother isn’t prideful of her children? But you have to understand
the journey. Me and that kid have been through so much together. He saved my
life.
Most of you know my story. I left home at the end of my
junior year in high school, three months later, I got knocked up and I lived
with a friend until three months after Nathaniel was born. With the help of my
kids’ grandparents, I went on to graduate high school and begin life. I
graduated high school on his first birthday. After graduation, I work any and
every job I could to make sure I could support my kid. In fact, at one point, I
was working three jobs at once. During the time, I somehow managed to end up at
the Salvation Army, living in a homeless shelter with my 18 month old son. I
won’t go into all the gory details but life was really hard. That led to me
marrying my now-ex-husband.
I was alone when I gave birth to Nathaniel. No family, no
friends, no one. It was just me and him. I was very scared and very alone. I
remember that day very clearly. I was in labor and I called my parents to tell
them, (another long story) only for them to turn me away. The next day, as I
was holding him, I remember praying that God would have mercy and help me
through this journey and that no matter what decisions I made, he would not
punish my son for my mistakes. Children don’t ask to be brought into this
world. They don’t deserve to suffer for our ignorance and poor choices. When I
look at my son, I see greatness. I see a young man with a beautiful heart and
soul. He is everything I am not and better. As broken as I was, it is a miracle
and a blessing that I didn’t ruin that kid. But God answered my prayers. I look
back over the last 17 years of his life and all I have is gratitude and love.
Nathaniel recently was accepted for Fall admission to Troy
University in Troy. It was his first choice. He loves the drums and he wants to
be a part of their marching band. He’s already begun making plans for his
future. At 17, he’s in a far better place than I was. I didn’t even see a
future yet. So last night, as I filling out one of his scholarship
applications, I needed his GPA and ranking information from his guidance
counselor. She emailed me and said he currently has a GPA of 3.7 and out of 122
students in his senior class, he ranks 11. That puts him in the top 10% of his
class. The overwhelming amount of joy and pride I felt at that moment assured
me that everything in the last 17 years was worth it. He did this.
Whew…
No matter what else I choose to do with the rest of my
life, he is my greatest accomplishment.
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