I've always been a worker bee. From the moment that I was able to go out to work, I did so with gusto. It's not that my parents forced me to go out and work or made me pay bills but they were just making it financially and I knew they could not stretch their budget anymore to accommodate my adolescent needs. As they say, "Necessity is the mother of invention," so out of the need to assert my independence and financial freedom, I went to work at 16. My first job was at Consumers which was a retail store chain that was very popular here in New York City during the early nineties. I felt like a million bucks working as a cashier there and I would cash my weekly check at the local check cashing place. There was such a sense of pride for me in being able to earn and spend my own money that it was intoxicating. Consumers eventually went out of business so I worked at McDonald's during my senior year in high school to be able to pay my graduation expenses. That was a very … [Read more...]
My Birthday Confession
Today is my birthday and it is a special day for many reasons beyond the usual ones that one might think of. You see, while most people are lamenting over birthdays due to the loss of their youth, I am counting my blessings and thanking God for every year that I get to be here to see my sons grow up. While others keep their age a secret for fear of ridicule, I proudly wear my age as a testament of my strength and courage. Today is my 36th birthday and I am proud to say that I am a Survivor. Yes, I know you all feel like you are survivors in your own ways but, you see, I am the other kind of survivor. Yes, that kind. Five years ago, I was diagnosed with CML. Yes it's a Cancer, yes it's treatable, and no I am not dying. CML stands for Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia and it is a blood malignancy. I've had this blog for over 2 years and I have struggled with writing this post for a long time. There are many reasons for it including the fact that I believe some things are … [Read more...]
