This document is a collection of reflections by an individual on important people and moments in their life. It discusses their grandmother who instilled a love of baseball and history. It describes their mother as their strength who encouraged them and taught them to love. It shares memories of fun times with their family as children and a beloved dog Fred who helped them when they were struggling emotionally. It expresses gratitude for the support of siblings and looks forward to the future with optimism.

1. Where it all
began; Grandma
My Grandmother has always been
a big part of my life. Although she
has passed on to be with her
savior, she is still a big part of my
life. She gave birth to my mother
and without that There is no me.
She planted the love for baseball
and history in my heart so early in
life that I can not even think of
how old I was when she did. We
would listen to the Mets game on
the radio and she would reminisce
about the days when the Dodgers
played in Brooklyn and how
proud she was to root for Jackie
Robinson. My Grandmother loved
me and I love her too. Her
memory makes me happy. A lot of
what I love and enjoy comes from
my Grandma. I Miss Her.

2. Mommy
My Mother comes from my
Grandma and I come from my
Mother. She is my strength in this
world. She believes in me no matter
what the odds are. She encouraged
me to stick with things when they
got tough and I learned resilience
from my Mother. I learned to dream
of a better tomorrow from my
mother. She taught me how to love
another individual by the examples
that she illustrated on the daily basis,
and boy did I make days and nights
rough for her. I’m in school because
of her encouragement. I’m alive
because she never stopped loving
me, even when I stopped loving
myself. She is my Mommy and she
is Beautiful. She is the best parent I
could have been born to because I
know she feels like she has the best
sons on earth, no matter how bad we
falter at times. My Mother’s name is
Strength and her alias is
Unconditional-Love.

3. DA FAM!!!
This is my fam. “The Man”
always watching us, but Mama
always kept her three little black
boys safe. From any and
everything. By size one can tell
the age order. I love this picture
because I know that the Christmas
following this summer was
smaller that others. Growing up it
was either summer vacation, or a
big Christmas. We chose summer
vacation this year. We loved to
drive together and make
memories. We’re older now and
spend less time together but I
keep this picture on my desktop
because it reminds me of growing
together with my family. I was
happy in this picture and I have a
large gap in my smile to prove it.
We were happy.

4. The Latest Addition to
Da Fam
Fred came at a crucial time in my
life. I had backed myself into a
corner emotionally and didn’t
know how to break out. No one
understood my condition
internally. I wasn’t happy and I
had no vision for my life. I hated
myself. Then one Halloween day,
My Big Bro brought Fred home.
Fred understood immediately. He
still sleeps by my side when I’m
home. Along with support from
my mom, Fred is why I am still
here today. He loved me no matter
what I thought of myself and he
taught me to love again. Now I’m
good at it. Thanks Frederick!!!

5. Marry That Girl;
She’s Already Family
Fred taught me to love
again, and then, She
came along. I believe
that everything
happens for a reason.
She is my best human
Friend.

6. I miss days like
These
Fred is a big part of my life
and I can’t wait to hold him
and smoke a blunt with
him. He always down to
chill, no matter what. I
mean, who else is begging
to walk to the store with
you in the middle of a
blizzard. Human’s best
friend. My best Friend,
Fred.

7. They Make Me
Happy too, and Sad
when they stink it up
These guys here. I adore
each player. I respect each
coach. We worked so hard
together and everyone,
players and coaches
included, improved by
leaps and bounds this
season. It was right before
leaving for Beloit. We were
the worst team in our
league. It was worth every
second, it was worth all the
pain and defeat. We won
our last game and
celebrated like it was the
World Series. I’ll never
forget.

8. My Big Bro
He bought Fred. He believes in
me and he shows it in the most
awkward ways. Growing up, he
made me tougher. He made me
take responsibility for my actions
and he was the only one in the
family that didn’t treat me like a
Baby. He didn’t want a punk for a
little brother. It’s funny now
because he’s pretty protective in
my adult years. He is someone
that I admire and I am very proud
to say that he is my Big Bro. I’m
sure he’s proud of his little bro. I
came a long way from where I
was before and he was the one
who was pissed about where I was
before. He knew that life I
entertained was not for me. He’s
tied for best Big Bro.

9. My Bigger Bro
My Grandma instilled the seed for
the love of baseball in my heart. My
Bigger Bro watered that seed. As
much as he loved sports and the fact
that I loved to play, he was the first
person to call me smart (after years
of both big brothers calling me slow
lol). He never doubted that I was
going to do whatever I set out to do
in life, even after my many failures.
I still remember his facial expression
when I lost my baseball scholarship
and how disappointed he was in my
choices, but I also remember how
reassuring he was about how we all
make mistakes and how sure he was
that my life would not stop there. We
have had issues in our adulthood,
but I love the person I know he is. I
love my Bigger Bro.

10. ME
This was me. This is me. This
time period in my life wasn’t as
happy as the picture illustrates. I
don’t remember many happy
times at this age and that is why
I love this picture. Always have.
I also keep this picture close by
me. If I could smile at this time
in my life, I can smile always.
I’m thankful for hard times now
because I know that one can
find happiness in any
circumstance. My mom took me
to Martha’s Vineyard in this
picture and we biked the entire
island. I was happy that day.
Happier than most days I can
remember.

11. Us in 1 ½
Years: Hopefully
I am excited for the day when
my fam gathers at Beloit to be
happy with me. Spring 2016
will be a happy time. My Fam
showed so much support for
My Community College
Graduation and I am so
thankful. They motivated me
to get us another picture like
this one. I was happy here too.
We left the Commencement
early, but we didn’t care. We
were together. I can’t wait to
walk for the Beloit Ceremony.

12. Me in Twenty
Years; With Her.
Hopefully
My Best Friend. She may
be crazy enough to Marry
me one day. I hope so. I
really do.