“I am moving to North Carolina”, that’s what my sister told me and my mother, back in July of this year. My mom who lost her job and home, during this recession was living with my sister in Richmond, VA, while I was attending school at Virginia State University. Once, my freshman year was completed, I had no place to go but with my mom and sister, who had now moved to Woodbridge, VA, closer to my sister’s job in Washington DC.

My mom and I were trying to find a job but nothing was working, so my sister became very resistant towards us. So, in July she decided to move to North Carolina with her daughter to live with my cousin and her children. Me and my mother was stuck, I can remember sitting in the bathroom with a knife to my chest, just crying. “I don’t know what to do”, talking to my girlfriend on the phone. She was trying to calm me down but it didn’t work. I eventually put the knife down, stop crying because I thought where is crying going to get me?

We helped my sister move, and she sent us back to Alexandria, VA, on a train. Over the next few days, we lived in hotels and motels, trying to find a homeless shelter to sleep in. We finally got into a shelter and stayed out there for a week. Then, my aunt in New Jersey, told my mom to come live with her, but my mom didn’t want to live me by myself. I knew I’d be fine. Since then, my mom and I are doing better, I haven’t really talked to my sister, and my girlfriend and I are still together. But, there’s still a problem, I’m not in school.

One night, I remembered my girlfriend telling me about University of Maryland, she said that’s where a lot of students at her community college transfer to. So, I looked the University up and became very interested. All, I want is an opportunity to better myself and get an education. The lesson that I learned during the time me and my mother were homeless was, I don’t want to be here again, in that situation. The best way I can guarantee that, is education. I believe the University can provide that for me. “People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan”, that quote has stuck with me since high school, and now I am planning, and I don’t want to fail….

But, the worst happened I didn’t get accepted to the school, lost my job and things weren’t looking any brighter. I was lost, my girlfriend was turning away from me, she says, “I need a man, Amir, I love you, I just can’t be with you till you get yourself together”. How you could blame her, I mean, here I was 19 years old, dropped out of college, no job, barely able to pay my rent, no car, and don’t know what to do with my life. Tell me about struggle or being confused, but coming up to DC helped me realize that my situation isn’t as bad as it could be. Things happen for a reason, we all know this, and it’s true. Just think back when you going run across the street to work to get something for lunch, then walks in your boss saying, “Lunch isn’t till 1pm”. All of sudden, you look outside the window to see that, someone got hit by a car or there was a car accident.

Some people have failed to realize that, as much as they think their lives are hard right now. There is someone who is doing 10 times worst, I mean at the time I didn’t have no job, little money, but I wasn’t on the street. I was fortunate that my landlords understood my situation and worked with me. I can real busy though, I loved my girlfriend, I really do, she’s the bright spot in my life, she wants to be happy, so we are now currently taking a break, till everything is straight with me. I have actually found a job, I am still living at the same place over on Northeast, and going to start school later this month to be a police officer or work in cyber space crimes. I have come back to my first true loves, writing and music. Writing just lets me be free, I can tell the world my pain, my struggles, and once I write it, then I can put it all behind me. Music just lets me express myself, I am somewhat of a shy individual, but when it comes to music I just let it all out.

I have no regrets, because like I stated earlier, things happen for a reason, sometimes you find out why and sometimes you don’t, that’s life. My struggles over the past 2 years have molded me into the person I will become in the future. My mother is my motivation, she is 58 years old and has worked for over 25 years and still has to work, and I want that to stop. My sister talks to me now, and my friend/girlfriend is doing well, we still talk, just growing up and taking things slow. What’s your story? What’s your purpose? Me personally, I don’t know yet, but I can’t wait to find out, I’m Rising up to the challenge…..

I was on my Honda 750. The year was 1972 and I was 16 years old. I was leaving high school with 2 of my friends Bob on his Honda 350 and Dennis on his Honda 175. I was leaving the stop sign at 6 ave. and 56 st. heading west. I wound out first and second gear I was now in third gear running 95 mph. 56 street was a 2 way street an old man backed out of his driveway and blocked my lane going straight I broadside him. To go around him to the left I would have ran head on into oncoming traffic. I had one choice go to my right I was in front of Andrews elementary school. It was lined with trees in the front for some reason the week before a crew had cut 6 down in a row. Till this day I don’t know why but I should still be implanted in a tree. The amazing part is I lived my front wheel made it through my back wheel caught the stump a friend a mile away so the bike in the air it was shot straight up I was thrown off like a mortar I ended up in the doorway of a second grade class. Without a scratch . I ran back to the car and pulled the keys out of the ignition My friends and I lied to the cops we were doing the speed limit and all,no ticket and insurance got me another.

All the roads had closed. I walked home in a murky twilight, head down. Next day I awoke the happiest I had ever been–and not a sou in the house. Nada. I put The Pretenders on and lay in bed just there–not a single thought. (That alone is strange.) Phone rang. Hello, I sang. “Hi remember the make up artist at the commercial shoot? I’m at the bank and have $100 for you.” Okay. (Years later I asked her what induced her to do that. And she said–with no recollection today–”You know those red dot ticker tape things over the teller windows? They spelled out “Susan needs money’.”) Minutes later I am dancing to Crissy and I have five twenties in my hand. Phone rings. “Hi. Remember Darrell? He’s looking for five people to staff his monthly travel magazine. (I had moved to New York to continue serious writing.) I put stuff in a shopping bag (no purse and it was red like the dress I put on–for an interview? Strange again.) I rounded the corner into Darrell’s office. (The best mag editor in NYC also.) And he looks and says, “Anyone who comes to the interview with an Elizabeth Arden bag gets the job.” Ha!

Two weeks later I was in Paris, all expenses paid and town car on the other end interviewing the Minister of Tourism in Paris, getting to write long and learning from a master. As my mother said, the one thing she wished she could leave her children (I said, “A yacht?”) was more faith. Faith IS it. Not karma, not any of it–plain wonderful faith–it’s what I was showed and how my future was already there–I had to be calm to receive it. What if I had left my apt that morning and run around trying to find all of this? (That job, by the way, lasted over 15 years and paid the rent happily for many moons.)

Sincerely, Susan Moriarty–Still Learning

My name is Gary,and I first met the love of my life Marcia when she was 13 and I was 15,we met in camp..she was a small little blonde kid,buck teeth and a tom-boy physique and I was known as the teen hunk,an unlikely pair,but the bolt of lightening that hit me when I first saw her was indescribable,I was frozen,and could not talk..she came from a an extremely wealthy family and I was a Brooklyn kid. we dated that summer,no contact afterwards until college where she married and moved to Beverly Hills. I married and divorced after 23 years,always unhappy and obsessed with the thought of what might of been. last year I ,living in NYC, Googled Marcia now 59 and I 60 years old and found her in Florida..we looked at eachother,kissed and now I have her in my life for the rest of my life..we will be getting married.

Ever since I could remember, my grandmother would always get on me about making sure my shoes were tied, I would come from outside and that’s the first thing she would look at, she has passed away years ago but my habit of keeping my shoes tied didn’t fade with her and without her always nagging me about it I wouldn’t be alive today. A few years back after getting off of work, I went to the gas station to get some snacks, it was what seemed to be a typical nite as I was strolling down the isle looking up and down at the shelves when I noticed my right shoe string was undone, I felt lazy and didn’t want to even bend all the way down to do it but I thought to myself that my grandmother is probably turning in her grave at the sight of my untied shoe so I stooped down and proceeded to tie my shoe when I heard a loud bang and a window shatter and what felt like a sudden beam of heat over my head, come to find out it was a bullet and it would have killed me… If I didn’t tie my shoe…