Over the years...After my sophomore year in high school, my life took an unexpected twist

sticking with basketball through high school. But when I tried out in ninth grade for the freshman basketball team, I was cut. Everyone on the team and even a number of teachers thought I should have made the team, and I also believed I should have been on the court. Instead of dwelling on not making the team, I practiced and became a better player, and then tried out for the junior varsity team the following year. I made the team and after a few games I was starting as the shooting guard. I was very proud that I was able to forget about the past and move on with maturity to show the coaches what I could do. After my sophomore year in high school, my life took an unexpected twist. Everything was changing, and I wasn’t accepting the changes because I didn’t know how. Any kid would hate to hear his parents arguing. Mine argued, and I couldn’t accept that my life might change because of what I heard. To this day I don’t entirely understand why they got a divorce, but I have realized that it is a change I have to live with. The separation of my parents left my father as an outsider to my life, and affected me in such a way that it became hard to cope with everyday life. Having a mother and father who care for and love you no matter what is the most valuable asset a child can have, but this perfect arrangement disappeared as I got older. While the divorce proceeded, my grandfather went to the hospital for open-heart surgery. It was supposed to be an in-and-out procedure, but instead it had a devastating result: my grandfather had a stroke was paralyzed on his left side, and he has been living ever since in a bed at a nursing home. My grandfather was the most incredible man in my life. The past year of my life has been a bumpy road for my family. The tears, anger and happiness come and go unpredictably, but I keep going because I know I must. If it weren’t for my mother and my strong will to succeed in life, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Without obstacles, there would be nothing to learn from life. We are put on this earth to overcome obstacles and to try to succeed even when the world feels as if it is pressing down on our shoulders. The weight of the world was on mine, and I am now more prepared to overcome it in the future.