In Critical Condition Before My Birthday

What’s up, friend? I have a question for you.

Have you ever wondered how you would act in a certain situation? You see something and tell yourself, “If that happened to me, I would…,” but you’re not sure because it has never happened to you.

That’s what I experienced recently. I’ve heard stories about how guys reacted after living with the tragedy of an absent father.

In most cases, their reactions struck me as cruel. I would think, “If something like that happened to my absent father, I would have a passionate reaction.” But that belief was based on no experience—until now.

Several days ago I was sitting in a classroom at a Discipline Alternative Education Program (DAEP) with a group of students. (This type of school is for students who have gotten into a lot of trouble, so their main campus sends them to the DAEP for 30 days or more to work on behavior.)

I received a text from my sister that said, “Daddy’s in the hospital. He’s in critical condition.” She then sent a photo of him with his eyes closed, a tube in his mouth, and two doctors standing over him. This may sound bad, but when I saw the picture I didn’t feel anything.

There was no passionate reaction—no anger, no bitterness, absolutely nothing.

The reason? I felt like I was looking at a stranger. Though I knew it was my daddy, there wasn’t any connection.

This concerned me, and I thought, “Do I need therapy? Am I broken? Why don’t I have an emotional reaction?”

All this ran through my mind while I sat in a classroom filled with troubled teens who were mostly abandoned by their fathers.

“Mr. Mosley?” I looked up. A 15-year-old student named Carlos was trying to get my attention.

“What do you need, Carlos?” I asked. He continued, “I really want to read your book, but there aren’t enough copies. They’re all being read by other students. Can you get some more? I really want to read it.” “I will get more,” I responded.

Carlos asking about my book reminded me why I started writing in the first place.

You see, when I was a child, my daddy leaving the family devastated my self-worth.

It took until adulthood for me to develop the self-belief that I was good enough.

My journey to worthiness also revealed my life’s purpose; which is using my story to help others who struggled with low self-worth.

The DAEP gives me that opportunity.

When I go there, the students ask the same questions: “How did you get over your father leaving?

• How did you make it out of the hood?
• How did you develop your self-confidence?
• What are some things I can do to become successful?”

These questions and others are answered in my book WORTHY TO BE GREAT.

It’s been a couple of years since I asked this.

But today is my birthday, and I want to get more copies of my book so Carlos and others at the DAEP can read them before they return to their home campus.

Honestly, it sucks that my daddy is in critical condition, but that is not something I can control.

Not to sound vindictive, but after forgiving my father I accepted the reality that we would never have a father-and-son relationship. What I can control is the relationship I have with students who respect and admire my life’s journey.

When they talk to me or read my books, it helps them deal with the critical conditions many of them are being raised in.

That reminds me of another DAEP student named Pat. He was a muscular 16-year-old who showed up every day smelling because there wasn’t water at his house to bathe. He was being raised in a trailer park with his little brother and their father, who was a drug addict.

He read my book and said, “Mr. Mosley, I love your book. I like how you use stories from your life to help teenagers like me.

I hope I can do the same one day with my story.”

It’s teens like Carlos and Pat for whom my book has the most impact.

That’s why I’m asking for your help in sponsoring copies of WORTHY TO BE GREAT for the DAEP.

The book is a guide to help them:

• Build self-discipline to boost productivity
• Develop confidence to pursue their dreams
• Cultivate self-worth to believe they deserve their dreams despite their background

Will it give them every tool possible to succeed? No. But it will give them a blueprint to get started.

If you want to help these teens handle the critical conditions in their lives, click the “Buy Now” button and sponsor copies of WORTHY TO BE GREAT today.

P.S. To be real with you, I honestly did not think so many of the teens at the DAEP would be interested in my book, but I’m glad I was wrong.