My life is complicated to explain. Most teens talk about how they played ball or took dance when they were little. Well not me, see my parents divorced when I was five and I was raised by my grandparents. My dad was in the marines so he never was around, and my mom left me she took my sister with her. I only got to spend time with them when I needed to get new clothes. So it was just me and my grandparents, my grandfather had a big influence on my life he told me “no matter what never let anyone tell you you’re not good enough my son, because you’re a lot better than you think”. Then one day my mom stopped by to pick me up she pulled me aside and told me Mikey Joe your sister is dying and she only has a little bit of time before she moves on. At the time I didn’t understand what was going on, my dad had got discharged from the marines and my mom took me to live with her. My sister passed away January 1, 1997. Her passing away had a big effect on me because, I blamed myself for her death for the longest time because I was a horrible brother the meanest and I felt like I caused her to pass away. Since her death I promised to be a great big brother and I did. My mom and step father have raised me and taught how to be a better person, a better son, and a better brother. My dad left my life and that hurt me because I felt abandoned by him. So I turned to my stepfather and he cared for me like I was his in son and that really left a mark in my heart. My dad started being my father when I turned fifteen and he is trying to make up for lost time and he is. Throughout my life I’ve tried to find my goals and what I wanted to be when I grew up, well in third grade my music teacher was holding choir auditions and at first I thought choir was for sissy’s and girls. My music teacher asked me “are you going to join mike?” I laughed and said “choir is for girls and I’m not a girl.” So as a punishment he made me audition and that had to be the best punishment ever because I love singing and I love music. Someday I hope to get a recording contract and put my music out there for the world to listen. As soon as I finish with high school I want to go to college and get my degree in song writing and hopefully in five years I would be in a recording studio recording my own song. Now looking back at my life I am glad to say im thankful that my mom and stepfather never gave up on me and that my dad is trying to be the father he never was, and my grandfather for giving me the encouragement I needed when I was in a rut. For my brothers who have looked up to me and told that I was the best brother in the world and to my friends and teachers for making me a better person. I would never go back and change one thing about my life and I hope my kids would be the same as me but better. I hope I win lots of awards for my music and make a lot of money and donate it to charities and churches. I go by this saying now “life is not about how many hits you can take, but how many hits you can take and keep moving forward.” Looking back at the hits I’ve taken I can say im a strong, relentless person.