Quarter-Century Thank Yous
Something that I’ve known for a long time is that I’m blessed for many reasons. One of those reasons is the people that I have the pleasure of calling my family, whether related by blood and brought into my life by God.
With that in mind, on my quarter-century birthday, I have a few thank yous that I’d like to say...
THANK YOU
To the mother who gave me life and is the reason for everything that I am or ever will be.
To the father who’s taught me so much, both intentionally and unintentionally.
To the grandmother who is my hero, a pillar of our family, and a woman who naturally earns the admiration of everyone she comes in contact with.
To the great-grandparents whose names, faces, stories, and love I will carry with me forever.
To the older brother who’s never once complained that I was born on his 18th birthday and who I recently realized is one the people I have the most in common with...TEAM GEMINI!
I THANK YOU
To the Grandfather who paved the way for my generation to have the options and opportunities that we have today.
To the Nana who shows endless love to our entire family.
To the uncles that I never had a chance to meet but I proudly represent with their names combined for my middle name.
I THANK YOU
To the friends of my parents and grandparents who made a conscience decision to become my aunts and uncles.
To the Aunt who beat my mom and grandma to the hospital the night that I was born.
To the sweet and soft-spoken Aunt who bought my first pair of Jordans and made sure that I got a chance to see Prince in concert.
To the Aunts who bend over backward to bring our family together throughout the year and do whatever they can to help others on regular basis.
To our Ford family who have been looking out for me since I was born, whether you hooked me up with good food, Pistons tickets, or one of the various.
I THANK YOU
To the uncle who took me on college tours that helped me make one of the best decisions of my life by attending Bowling Green State University.
To the Uncle who set the example that taught me the importance of checking in on my family as much as possible.
To the cousin who went from the casual voice on the other end of the phone to one of the most important people in my life.
To the college roommates who have become my brothas from other mothas.
To the basketball teammates that became best friends who keep in touch no matter how far away we live.
I THANK YOU
To the friends who have been around for less than two years and expanded my horizons beyond imaginable.
To the friends and family that I don’t keep in contact with well enough.
To the wonderful girlfriend and doggy mama who chooses to put up with me on a daily basis.
To you all here sitting in this room tonight, I say thank you, thank you for being a part of life. They say it takes a village to raise a child and I have to admit, I have one hell of a village behind me. Thank you for helping me make it to 25.
