Blog Prompt #1

Very well, where do I begin? My father was a relentless self-improving business owner born and raised in the streets of Miami, Florida with a low tolerance level and a penchant for money. My mother was an eighteen year old bar tender who longed for her knight and shining armor to sweep her off of her feet, and now to this day is a pastor of one of the biggest non-denominational churches in America. My childhood was nothing close to ordinary, pulled out of the public school system after one year in kindergarten because my mother did not agree with the public school system and the media that was influencing me at such a young age. I began to be homeschooled from first grade through sixth grade along with my other at the time six siblings, shipped to a private Christian based school for seventh & eighth grade, beginning my high school career into a first year charter school, and concluding tenth through twelfth grade in a public school.

In the summer and when not in school, I would exhort myself to simultaneously juggle three jobs. When I was insolent I was stripped of all additional benefits, such as, driving privileges, cell phone usage, contact with my peers, and sentenced to solitary confinement in my room to write for hours upon hours on pieces of paper why I would never do again what I did, and if that was not the tool it would be to rake and bag leaves from the yard, pretty standard really. Now being one of nine children, my role model position has been amplified to a greater degree, especially over the fact that I am the first born son.

My parent’s attention level for me was very short, because it was my other seven younger siblings that needed the nurturing and care. While growing up, media to me would be the people around me. I looked to my teachers as role models and read books that they told me to. I specifically remember a book that my ninth grade State Representative teacher gave me after the year was over, and he handed it to me in front of the entire congregation while crying his eyes out. The book was titled “David” by Charles Swindoll and inside was a little inscription that said, “AJ, you have a very special gift, make sure you use it wisely, just like David did.” I based the rest of my life on that time of my life. I started playing sports at a young age, but did not compete until tenth grade of high school. Old highlight videos from prior years would influence me to a great degree, how to walk, how to compete, and that sort of thing. It wasn’t until I ventured out on my own to college in a separate state that I began to be exposed to much larger things in this world. The church was where I spent most of my time, while being homeschooled, and while attending three five services a week. The Church life translated into learned habits, morals and values that carry me to this day.

If it were not for the fact that this blog is due in four minutes, and the two people beside me in this study hall weren’t talking amongst themselves as if they were the only people in the room this would be a much more organized blog entry, so my apologies…looking forward to the next.