A Grateful Year

My being grateful started a few years back when i met my dad again. It seemed that my life was really in an uproar up until that point and even for a short while after that. My mother passed when I was young and so after that my Uncle Mike took care of me until my grandma took me away from him. I am still not quite sure why they would have wanted to do something like that to me considering how much I love him but I guess people make bad mistakes. My Uncle Mike was like my dad in so many ways. After I lost my Uncle Mike my grandma put me and my younger brother Donny up for adoption and kept my older sister. Life was not always so great but we managed. After being bounced around to different shelters and group homes I finally decided to runaway.

About three almost four years ago I got a phone call from a woman whom left a voicemail on my phone. She claimed to be my mother in law. She told me of how my dad and she have been looking for me for years. Strange as it sounds I decided to call her back to see what was going on in. Chiefly because I really was alone and had lots of questions to which I wanted the answers to. Still waiting and looking for my uncle it had been about nine years or so since I had seen him or heard from him. I went down to New Mexico to meet this mysterious woman and my unknown dad.

Although I felt very alone when I left Chicago to go all the way across the country when I got there I felt a sense of peace. My dad was not there he was on a trip at the time but I spent the next few weeks, with whom I grew very fond of, my new mom. We laughed and joked and I got to learn who my dad was. It was a life changing experience. As we traveled to different towns I also got the chance to see my birth state and where I was born. I got the chance to learn more about where I came from and all the family I never knew about or just did not remember. I also started to remember things that I never would have thought of if I never got to experience them again.

A few months after that I decided to leave and go back to my home town Chicago. After long waiting and heavy searching I found my Uncle Mike again. It took me over ten years but I finally found him. He was sicker then a dog and had changed so much. In a way I think he felt the same way that I did at times. Some times I like to think that him getting better and me finding him were not only God's work but my loving connection that I have with saved his life. Surprisingly after all the things we both went through our connection did not change a bit even though we both got older. Although some of the joking around changed nothing else did. It made me miss him even more.

Since I found my uncle this weekend has been the first time I have seen him in over ten years. I am grateful to say that this Thanksgiving has been the best Thanksgiving I have had since 1996 when I shared it with my mom. For a long time I used to hate it because it was the last holiday I had with my mother, may she rest in peace. But this year man oh man was it different. But it has been amazing every step of the way. This weekend I got the chance to see my favorite Uncle Mike. You see no one can compare to my Uncle Mike he is my hero when I didn't have anyone I knew that somewhere he was ok and still loved me. When I was younger he was always there for me and I know he will always be there for me. It is simple I LOVE MY UNCLE MIKE and that's just the way it is.

In so many ways my dad is my hero to. He has changed my life and it is funny because everyone sees how much I have changed but I do not think they really know that he was one of the main reasons for some of my recent decisions. He made me want to change my life he challenged me to be the best I can be so yes I admit it I am a daddy's girl I love my daddy. Watching my dad go to school to get his masters and seeing his accomplishments made me want to go to school and do the same. I want to change people's lives and make one step at a time towards greatness. I chose the medical field so I can help the sick get better. I want people to live their life to the fullest so the can help change the world to.

A lady once told me a story that also inspired me., She said one real hot day an old man was on the beach. He was picking up star fish that had been washed up on the beach. There were thousands of them. A boy walked up to him and said why are you picking up those star fish there are so many you will never be able to save them all. The man said to him, as he picked up another to put back in the water, "it matters to this one." I know that what I have to offer may not change the whole world but on step at a time maybe I can change the world for someone who never thought that things could be better.