My Guardian Angel Wears a Yankees Hat..

“Life is a series of experiences, each of which makes us bigger, even though it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character and we must learn that setbacks and grieves which we endure help us in our marching onward.”-Henry Ford 

It has been said that we are shaped by the experiences we encounter; that maturity comes with experience, not age. I couldn’t agree more. I learned at a young age that things don’t always go as expected and that the most important lessons are the ones learned through experiences that are out of our control. It is then when our true colors shine.

I was twelve years old and it was like any normal basketball season at my school, the best part of playing was that I had my dad coaching my team. We were on our way to yet another championship when something bigger then I could’ve ever imagined happened. My dad was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Yes, it happened that fast; in the blink of an eye my whole world became blurry. I slowly processed that my life was about to change forever, that I would soon have to watch the strongest person I have ever known battle something out of his control. At this time, I had no idea how much the next two years would teach me.

I watched my dad fight the good fight; he continued to live his life with the utmost optimism. "No matter how bad you think you have it, remember that there is someone out there who has it ten times worse." That was what my dad would tell us every time we would get down about him being sick. No matter how much he was suffering, he always stayed positive. To me that was the most important lesson I learned through this experience. I idolized his optimism and therefore continue to live my life with the same outlook in hopes of carrying out his message of living life to the fullest. He taught me that being “strong” meant more than being able to hit a baseball out of the park. It means holding your head high and knowing that everything happens for a reason. In January of 2004, I lost my best friend; my dad.

 

    Although this is an experience in which the outcome is not what I had hoped for, because of it, I am a   stronger person. I learned to be independent at a young age, and I learned to live my life to the fullest. I am thankful for the time I got to spend with my dad and love the passion he instilled in me for life and of course, The New York Yankees.

 

My guardian angel wears a Yankees hat.