All people enter our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime and when you figure out which it is you know exactly what to do. When someone is in your life for a reason, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, provide you with guidance and support, or to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually. They may seem like a Godsend, and they are because they’re in your life for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die, sometimes they walk away, or sometimes they’ll act in a way which forces you to take a stand. A friend of four years, who I loved so much, became a person I’d never met before. I never thought our friendship was going to end, but I was wrong. We shared our deepest, darkest secrets and pinky promised we would never tell them to anyone. After a while, she became distant and gradually faded away. Our lifestyles weren’t the same anymore, so we ended our friendship.

When people come into your life for a season, your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They may bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never known and they usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy but only for a season. I had this person in my life that I loved so dearly. My dad was my # 1 fan. We did a great deal of things together; played with dolls, read books, and went to parks. Born on March 20, 1991, my life was perfect. Well that’s what I thought. The day he started to physically abuse my mother changed my life forever. My mom and my dad went their separate ways and for 14 years, I was raised in a single parent home with my brother.

For a while, my dad and I would communicate everyday, but since I’ve turned 17 years old, we’ve grown further apart. I will always love my dad, but as I’ve gotten older, I realized that my dad was here for a season to show me how independent and strong one woman can become without a man in her life. This was true. I was shown just how important my mom was to me. LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons; those things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. My mom is the person who will be in my life for a lifetime. She has managed to raise my brother and me in the way we should be raised. She’s everything I need and more; my mom, my dad, my friend, and my teacher. The relationship my mom and I have can never be explained in just two or three sentences; it would probably take a lifetime. I would’ve never become the magnificent and educated young lady I am today if it wasn’t for my mom. I’m not the spoiled brat I was when I was younger, but a responsible and caring young woman who has set goals and plans to achieve them despite the circumstances. How my life would’ve been with a father figure; I will never know, but I have no doubt that my life turned out just as good as it would’ve been with him in it. If I had to choose a woman to be when I grow up, it would be my mother. She’s my # 1 fan now and has been for 14 years. We may not have money which compares to Bill Gates, but we have a lifestyle that’s worth more than all the money in the world.

During my life, I’ve been emotionally wounded by several people, but because I have that same determination as my mother, I’ve learned to not let anyone stop me from achieving my goals. I’ve prayed many times to find another person -a friend or significant other- to be in my life for a lifetime. The prayer that I’ve sent up will be answered, but until that time I must continue to move on to accomplish my goals. Several people have entered my life for a reason, season, or a lifetime, but I’ve never allowed them to transform my future or alter my life; I’ve always learned to use those hardships as stepping stones and make my way to the top.

As I move on to college, I will take with me these lessons I’ve learned throughout my life and use them in a way that will successfully benefit me in furthering my education. Each lesson -good or bad- has created a more caring and hard working individual who understands that the outcome of my life depends on me. Going to college and becoming a successful lawyer has always been my dream since I was a kid and in spite of the hardships and barriers I’ve encountered throughout my life, my path to success won’t end; I’ll continue my journey until my light of success is found.