November 22, 2022
Write about a turning point moment that changed you for the better.
By: Meadow Gallentine
Original Image From Meadow Gallentine
Everyone is their own human mosaic, of everyone they have met, and all they have done. All of these influences have molded us into the people we are today. However, along the way, while we started to make our own beautiful mosaic there was at least one piece that changed us for the better. While most people's mosaic is formed from the inspiration of others, the positive actions that friends and families have allowed them to encounter, and maybe even the smiles of strangers on a train, my mosaic is different.
My mosaic is made from all the things I never want to be. In 2017, the year before my freshman year of high school, my 4 younger siblings and I were removed from my mother’s care on account that she was found with drugs. While this came as no surprise to me and my siblings, with my youngest brother being 3 weeks old, we soon moved in with my great aunt. From the ripe year of 2017 until today, I have been on a roller coaster of events. With broken promises, unseen plans, and a series of unfortunate events, my life has been anything but simple, but with that I am thankful.
Original Image From Meadow Gallentine
While my mother undeniably put a hold on what should have been my typical ‘childhood’ experience, she showed me how to be everything she was not. She showed me how to be grateful for what I had because while I was fortunate, my siblings and I could have gone down a worse road. She showed me how to love, because for the first 14 years of my life, she made me feel loveless, yet now I know how to show others what I never felt. She allowed me to understand the importance of family and friends because it was those people that were there when she was not. I make sure to not only listen to people but make sure to hear them, for she made my feelings feel invalid. I can’t stand physical touch, only because of the abuse in my household growing up, and most importantly she showed me the type of mother I want to be when the time arrives, for she has been the furthest thing from the title.
Original Image From Meadow Gallentine
I have promised myself never to make others feel worthless, that I would be there for others, be the best role model for my siblings, and most importantly, I have promised myself to always uphold the most respect for not only those around me, but for myself as well. While all of these events have put me in the ringer, being dragged left and right, they have in an unfortunate way, shaped me into the woman I am today. I would not be speaking the truth if I said that there was only one moment in my life that has changed me for the better, instead, it was a series of moments I had to endure during my life that might not have been pretty, but pointed me in the direction of a better life. My mosaic is not similar to most people’s. I am not pieced and shaped together from memories of my past and people who have left positive dents in me. I am shaped by everything and everyone I do not want to become. With all of the bad, and all of the ugly, the life I was granted is the reason for the person I am most proud of today. With a life full of tornadoes, and more specifically the last five years being a tsunami, everything that has happened has happened for a reason, and for that, I am a better person.