Apocalypse Later

First off – The world isn’t ending. I’m not going to go into explaining why or why not, but it isn’t. Comcast would never let me take tomorrow off, so the world must continue. That being said and out of the way, I notice a lot of people posting “last words” type of posts to their loved ones, just in case. Well, I’m here to say that we don’t need an Armageddon to tell the people in our lives what they mean to us. I want to take this moment, a moment without any fear of apocalyptic doom, to thanks all of those who have touched my life. I want to thank my family, especially my mom Gloria and grandmother Margaret for the patience shown in raising me, and giving me guidance and support during the rough times. I want to thank the teachers who showed the restraint not to kill me during my confrontational and inquisitive years. I want to thank Steven Walker for giving me the opportunity for not only a job, but a family and career with Comcast. I want to thank all of the roller derby teams out there for welcoming me into a sport and world that has given me both joy and some much needed exercise! I want to thank the Hope Mentor Project for giving me the opportunity to learn as much from foster children as I attempt to teach. I want to thank my best friends Donald, Shannon, Dave, George, Jeff, and countless others over the years for lifting me when I get low and knocking me down when I got a little too high on the horse. I want to thank Syd for coming into my life and reminding me of the beauty, compassion, humor, and love that still exists in this world, just waiting to be found in a new face or an undiscovered dawn. And I want to thank the ones that didn’t make it this far, to see this sunrise, to see the death of Twinkies and the end of Jersey Shore, that helped mold me into the man I am, from Jason, who was my confidant and best friend through thick and thin, to Monique, who made me welcome in an unfamiliar world, to my Grandpa, who passed his artistic talents to me, to my Great-grandma Smith, who taught me to always smile, to my dad, who taught me what it means to be a man, husband, and father. I thank every one of you, and I don’t want it to take another prophecy of doom for you to feel appreciated.