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It was an evening of reminiscing about our high school days, sharing our dreams and discussing where we were at that very moment . This day was more than 20 years ago. I had just recently completed high school. My friends were going off to college , serving our country , getting married , etc. I had made the decision of going to college but I wanted to first take a break. I started working a part time job right after school . A year after completing school , I thought to myself “Okay, now it’s time. I called a close friend of mine that was attending college, an HBCU to be exact . She came home for the weekend to pick me up to tour the school . The school was great. The atmosphere was so lively. I was so excited. I returned home to prepare my next move on setting off to college , so I thought . Until, I heard within myself “ Wait, don’t go to college yet; work and help your dad. It was at that moment , I evaluated my father’s situation . My parents, of their marriage had a total of 18 children. We all had the same biological mother and father . My dad was always a great provider and an excellent dad but his health began to declined . He couldn’t retire because he still had 3 of my younger siblings that was still in high school who still néeded his support. Instantly , I knew what decision I had to make. What was most important to me at the time was helping my dad. My dad, no matter how much he tried just wasn’t capable of doing the work he used to do and my mother never worked . She was a stay at home mom. I put going to college and my life on hold. Within a month I was fortunate in finding a full time job. I began working and helping my parents financially . I did this until my younger sisters and brother had graduated high school and was off to college . That evening , 20 years ago I can remember having a conversation with a close friend of mine. I thought that I would fall behind the rest of my class. I thought life was happening for everyone but me . One thing was for certain regardless of how I felt , I knew I was in the right place at the right time doing what was required of me. My parents never asked me to do any of this . It was my way of honoring my parents . I understood the importance of selflessness . Looking back, I now know it was the seeds I planted in my youth that help paved the way for my success . I said all that to say this, Sow good seeds so you can reap a great harvest . Blessings to each of you.

This is an old photo. The day I took this picture I was working as a dockworker, I was drained mentally, but this day, I had no fire left in me. I woke up and crawled out of bed, no breakfast or anything, I just forced myself. When I came outside my house early in the morning I looked into the cold, grey and heavy fog that covered the city. I arrived at my work and as I walked along the pier, still exhausted and disconnected in my mind, something incredible happened. The sun broke through the thick fog and clouds, its warmth almost punched the side of my face. I stopped and was greeted by the most breathtaking sunrise I had ever seen. In that moment, I felt alive again. It reminded me of one simple thing: we only live once, and it’s moments like these that make it all worthwhile, worth waking up. This photo captured not just a simple sunrise but the spark that reignited me. Sometimes, all it takes is a little light to remind us why we keep going✨️ #moments #mentalhealthawareness #photoart #keepgoing #natureheals #findyourspark