My great Grandmother passed away on October 11th 2002. I was 17 years old, it was a Friday and I was at basketball practice. It's funny how fast time flies because I'm 30 now and now both my grandfather and my great grandmother have passed away. As I get older I see that death just teaches us how to be appreciative of the people we have. I've learned through my own experience that spirit is eternal, life on earth is a journey to become your best self through contrast of good and bad. Sometimes we get so caught up in our daily lives that we forget about the things that really matter. Death is just a reminder that you should appreciate and cherish the people you care for the most because one day you can wake up and they can be gone.

As for me, I understood pain and loss at a very young age. I knew that growing up with my grandparents was amazing but it was too good to be true and one day I would have to deal with them not being here to guide me and love me. When I was little I use to walk pass my grandmother as I went to the bathroom at night, and check to see that she was still breathing. That was weird at the time because nothing was wrong with her. I guess that was my fear of losing her, I knew that my life would be completely different without her. I had a lot going on in my life as a child but my great grandmother shielded me from how bitter and bad the world could be. All I knew was unconditional love and that love was all I needed to get through.

I remember one day I was laying in the bed watching TV and my grandmother just said to me that she wanted me to do something good with my life and become something great. I never forgot that, I used that day as motivation even to this very day. As hard as it was to say goodbye to the most important people in my life the saying is true; “what doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger”. When my great grandmother passed away, I was forced to step outside my comfort zone and explore the trials and tribulations of life. When my grandfather had a stroke and lost his memory I was forced again to step outside my comfort zone and experience life through my own lens. Both experiences broke me and then put me back together. I've come a long way since 2002, back then I only had an idea of the man I wanted to be, now I have become the man I knew I could be. I still have so much to accomplish but I'm comfortable with all that I have did in my life, my experience has help me evolve and get better with time. I take all the lessons I learned from my grandparents, my mother, my friends; I take all my bad experiences, and use them as fuel to never give up until I become my best self. If I could go back in time I wouldn't change anything because every experience whether big or small has shaped and made me into the man I am today. 

To my Great grandmother: I love you and I think about you daily. I kept our promise and I made something out of myself. Your lessons allowed me to be able to create a company that inspires people all over the world. Your love is what keeps my heart pure and I work hard every day in hopes that you are looking down on me and are proud of my accomplishments. I will be graduating with honors this semester as I did for the last two and my goal is to get my Masters from Columbia university. We came along way from the days me and you use to create a garden every spring. I end this by saying that every year we did that garden I never knew you were teaching me patience, I never knew you were teaching me how to create success by simply by putting seeds in the ground and watching them grow. But that's how life really is. Your dreams are like seeds, you plant them in fertile soil and you watch them grow. In time you will see the fruits of your labor, until that time you just have to maintain your garden and treat it with care. Your lessons will be the reason why I turn every dream in my head into a reality, thank you so much for everything, without you I would be a loss soul. You gave me purpose and your love is still with me to this very day. You know what I remember about our time together, every time I left the house you walked me to the door and gave me a kiss on my cheek and told me you loved me. I will never forget those days, I love you always and I will see you soon, just not too soon.