I started out in life at a very early age. If fact, I was so young that my mother had to be with me constantly for the first 9 months of my life. Once I moved from her protection to the real world, she realized that she really didn’t want to be a Mom. When I was about 2 1/2 weeks old she gave me to her mother to raise and moved on with her life. My grandmother was probably near the poverty level, but it wasn’t measured so much back then because everybody was just about in the same boat. Folks were not prone to have higher hopes or bigger dreams because they were doing everything they could to just get by.
We moved around as housing became available for the meager amount my grandmother could afford. To be honest, I never really knew we were poor but looking back I realize we were very poor. I didn’t have any toys or many outfits except for hand-me-downs from people who were a little better off than we were. When I was 4 I was adopted by my aunt and uncle (my biological mother’s brother) who had three daughters. He was a farmer and she worked wherever she could to try and help make ends meet. They were very active in the local church and for that, I will be eternally grateful.
SMALL DREAMS
As I began my school days I saw others with much more than I had. It caused me to think about what it might be like to have more. I guess I began to have some small dreams but kept them to myself. I thought they were silly and that they were unreachable. Maybe if somebody like Frank Sinatra had taught me like he did this young boy, I would have dreamed bigger. As I got older it became apparent that God had given me a talent as a singer. I began to use that talent in church and folks began to notice me a little more. As you might imagine I latched on to Elvis as my hero. I dreamed of one day having his level of fame and fortune. If he had released this song earlier in his career, it would have been my theme song!
BIGGER DREAMS AND HIGHER HOPES
I began to think about my future more as I entered high school. I had higher hopes. My plan was to do whatever it took to make a better life for myself. As a result, I joined the United States Air Force at the age of 17. I wanted to travel and see other possibilities. When I finished my tour with the Air Force I started college. My goal was still to be like Elvis so I was a music major with a voice concentration. I didn’t realize that there were other subjects that I had to take in order to graduate and my college days did not go well. I ended up flunking out after just a few years. My higher hopes and bigger dreams had been shattered.
HIGHER HOPES EXPLAINED
BUT GOD…I surrendered to the ministry and learned the real meaning of having hope. It was clearly defined for me in the Bible. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” Hope became something real in my life and now I have higher hopes and bigger dreams of serving Him by serving others. If you want to help with that then come join my team!
We are here to make the World a Better Place. And while hopes and prayers are effective; nothing beats true Resources applied to the Hopes and Prayers. CONTACT US for more details and to become a larger part of the “Pay It Forward” Online Community that we are all about.
