Life

The things in life that can alter the outcome of your future can happen at the least expected times. These events can range from the simplest, a fall down the stares, to one of more extremity, the death of a loved one. Whether good or bad, these events are a part of what is used to sculptor you and your future.

As for me, the event that altered my life was a decision made by my mother. I do not blame her for what she did; in fact, her choice only made me love her even more. Life wasn't always a walk in the park for my mom and me. We came to the states, because of a job offer, in the middle of June of 1990, just a few days after her birthday. After settling in, she begun her work at the University of South Carolina while I attended school at a near by Elementary School.

University of South Carolina

English: The University of South Carolina Greek Vi...

Mother & The Commonweal

I will admit life was peachy, but the joy didn't last too long. She was soon released from her job after only being there three years. Life after that was all downhill until she was hired once again at USC, but just in another department. We had the gray clouds lifted and had the sun pouring down or so we thought, only to find that thought to be shattered my another termination note. After the second departure note we decided to move away form USC and try to start over. She landed a make shift job, life wasn't too great but it was enough to provide the daily essentials to live off of, but in the back of our minds we knew that this was not going to be enough. That's when she made to decision to give me to another family so that I might be able to have a better future. I was now more then half way through with my eighth grade year when this decision was fully planed out and about to me executed. After numerous phone calls to an adoption agency, a family was sought out. The Urams, they were nice people who had a big family with a son my age. I thought this might work, but when the day came for me to say goodbye to my mom, I had second thoughts. Truthfully, I will admit that that day was the longest and saddest day of my life but it had to me done.

It was the summer before entering as a freshman at Mauldin High School by the time I had finished moving in with my new family. They were loving and caring but I never felt a real connection until we had a long heart warming talk. Now I felt as if I was apart of the family. My life was changed for the better and the school year was going great. I was involved in sports and my academic scores were outstanding. I was at the high of my life. Summer approached, as did the one-year anniversary of me living there. Like every schoolboy summer was something to look forward to, but if I knew what this summer was going to bring, I would have wished for time to stop. I soon realized the high of my life was going to end on the same day school let out. It was on that day when the Urams took me to my youth pastor's house. There I sat and listened as my new life was going to end. The news was bad, real bad. I was being kicked out. After the long and dreaded talk, I was driven to the boy's home, where I stayed for the next three months. Luckily it was still during summer so there wasn't a lot of changes to be made. My mom, by now, had moved up to Greenville and was working for an elderly woman. During all this time, what I really wanted was to be back with my mother. That wishes came true just a few weeks before my sophomore year, the year I came to Blue Ridge to live with my mom and left Mauldin.

That leads me to where I am at now. The decision was a sacrifice of the mother-son bond. The choice was life changing. It made me realize that my mom will always be the one that will do anything for me. She proved it in her actions and for that I will always be in debt to her. Life changing experiences can happen at anytime; good or bad you have to accept it and live your life knowing a little more form your experiences.

An older area of the University of South Carolina,...

Adapted from Wikipedia's SC county maps by Seth Il...

An 1872 illustration of the Horseshoe, USC's origi...