17 years later

When I was 17 I had to write an essay for the Boettcher Scholarship application.  When I read my essay 17 years later, I realize how many truths it still holds.  The last paragraph reads:

My mother has since faded in and out of our lives, not considering the fact that to call herself a mother is not even relevant in the minds of her children.  Fighting most of the way, I have finally accepted the responsibility and mind-frame of being a mother not only to my siblings, but to myself as well.  In addition to helping develop the characters of my brother and sister, I have also given my dad perseverance and ambition.  As for myself—there is something more to life, always was, and always will be.  A family is ‘supposed’ to be just the way it is.

(I truly believe it was my essay that landed me the Boettcher Scholarship.  My 12th grade AP English teacher helped me ensure every word mattered.  I feel luck to have had so many caring teachers during my academic career.)