KidSpirit

My Greatest Influence

FulfillmentGlobal Beat

The person who has most influenced my idea of happiness is my father. My father was a single father most of my life and is now remarried. When I was five years old, my parents split up due to many problems. We moved to Tennessee. In Tennessee, I spent many great childhood years making many friends and enjoying the community.

My dad always worked hard, and even when he knew times were hard, he still kept a smile on his face. My brother and I were never told that we were going through hard times because my dad made sure we never had to feel the burdens of financial difficulties. When he would come home from work, he always had time for my brother and me, even when he was tired and sore. Then came Friday nights, when we would go get pizza and pick out movies at Walmart together.

Then tragedy struck; my dad was told he had cancer. During this time, it destroyed me to hear my loving father had a severe sickness. Many good times still passed, and then we got great news: the cancer was gone, but he was still at risk for it to appear again. A year went by, and he felt very sick. This time I was older and knew that the cancer could be back. We went to the hospital. When I heard that the cancer came back, I was shocked but stayed strong for my younger brother. Life went on; even though my dad was sick, he kept his smile and always had faith. The love he showed was beyond words. He went back to the doctor, and they said it was all gone. I had tears of joy. When he smiled after the great news was told, it made me know that in my heart, he is the one who has influenced my idea of happiness.

Now I am 17. My father was diagnosed with epilepsy, a disease that causes seizures and can be fatal. Over the past six years, we have lived in New Mexico with my stepmother and her family. I have seen my father go through so many obstacles in life, but he still keeps his faith. My father and I have a hobby together: we love to watch scary movies. When I am in my room, he will yell for me and say, “Cheyenne, I’m putting on a scary movie, do you wanna watch it with me?” When I hear that, I always run out of my room just to spend precious time with him and enjoy movies together. Time with him always spreads so much cheer to me, and he always helps me keep my spirits up. Thanks to my father, I have overcome so many hard times. I have also had the encouragement to graduate high school. When I graduate, I want to walk on that stage and look into the crowd and see that same smile that has kept me going all these years. All my happiness and success is because of the loving father I have today. I will always love him.

Cheyenne Slover is currently 17 years old. She lives in Sawmill, Arizona and attends Rehoboth Christian School. In her free time, she likes to read books or listen to music. In the future, she wants to study psychology.

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Art by Jaden Flach, Brooklyn

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Art by Jaden Flach, Brooklyn