Chapter 34: Passion and Purpose through Pain and Dysfunction

Through the years, I have discovered my passion and purpose in life. The funny thing is that I think everything I have experienced was preparing me to be who I am today, although I get nervous when I think about the possibilities that lie ahead. I grew up in New York, where life wasn’t always the best and I remember, while in high school, being told “I was never going to be nothing” or “I would not graduate from high school.

Don’t get me wrong, my parents were the best, they were loving, caring, encouraging and great providers. I have good memories of being a kid in the Bronx, with my parents. But the memories I have that aren’t so good, stem from family friends taking advantage of a working family and a young girl.