Option 1: Describe how you, at an important juncture in your life, have been assisted by others; your intercessors or helpers may have been parents, teachers, scout or club leaders, employers or strangers. On reflection, you know your life could be different than it is today, if you had not received some assistance or intercession when you needed it. .
In the autobiography The Color of Water, by Mr. James McBride, Mr. McBride tells of how his life was changed for the better at a time in his life when he was headed down the wrong path through the assistance of several people whom he encountered. I also experienced a time when other people influenced me, and helped me become the person I am today. My family, fifth grade teacher, a guidance counselor at school, and a wonderful group called "Children to Children" were the greatest "intercessors" that I encountered. My story is different than Mr. McBride's. I was not headed down the path of destruction as he was, but I was at a point in my life where the potential to go that direction was definitely a possibility. .
I was the only child of a single mother. During the summer before fifth grade, my mom sat me down by the pond at the Melbourne Public Library to discuss something very important with me. That day she explained to me that she suffered from a disease called alcoholism. She told me that the disease had seriously affected her liver and she now had a condition called Cirrhosis. My mother then informed me that she would not live very much longer. This news was too big for my eleven year old head to handle. I did not truly understand until well after she passed away. Many children who are in the position I was in would become rebellious and act out in ways similar to James McBride's.
My mom was the central figure in my ability to stay straight. She instilled important values that have stuck with me. One value she taught me was to have faith in God.
