Everyone has a person that came into their life during the worst point and in some way changed it around completely. I remember being uncomfortable and confused when I first moved here. At seven years old, your parents are still at the point where they don’t tell you the whole story, just a glimpse into what’s going on. I knew something was going on with my parents, and I knew they were arguing as much as they tried to hide it. I may have been young, but I wasn’t stupid- I could hear the yelling and mumbling. As the cute youngest child, I would just smile and try to make them individually happy when I knew something was wrong. I put the fake smile on and kept trying to ignore everything going on. Then one day, I get informed that we are moving. My mom puts all my stuffed animals and clothes in boxes, and we hit the road. 

For a while, I would go back to Denver every weekend and spend time with my dad. We would walk to the gas station close to his house, and I would get ice cream or a cherry slushie every time. Eventually, those visits had to stop because he started making bad decisions. It was just me and my mom then. When he exited my life it felt like someone shot a hole right through me. After that I only got to see him once a year. 

My mom was completely closed off from any men. It was just me and her together. I was having so much fun with her, until about six months later after we moved. My mom, my best friend and I all went out with my moms friends. She met this guy named Ryan. I had so much fun with him. We went to my moms friends house and Ryan, my best friend and I all played uno for HOURS. I will always remember that because that was my first memory of a new, important person in my life. After that night, he started coming to my house and hanging out with my mom more and more. Not having my mom all to myself definitely took a little getting used too, but Ryan definitely was a nice change. He brought this warm, comfortable, soothing energy into the house. He’s not a loud guy, which both me and my mom like about him, and he is just very easy to talk to. He doesn’t have a lot of emotion, which I think my mom and I needed because we had a lot of emotions at the time. 

Then on October 2nd, 2020, my mom and Ryan got married! But I knew way before that day that he is my dad. He is definitely a part of the family, and everyone loves him. I mean, they always have, with his off the bat jokes and quirky personality. He has been my dad longer than my actual dad has been in my life now, which is pretty crazy to me. The wound of my dad got filled with Ryan’s unconditional love. I know he will always be there for me through my ups and downs. When I graduate high school and succeed in other things in life, Ryan will be there. Ryan is my hero.