By Michael Armijo

Well it’s here. The day has come where I must find peace.  I must find a safe place, free from anxiety, fear, and neglect. Free from self destruction and harsh memories. A place protected, just as a mother would do. I am here to feel loved.

My life has not been full of paved roads or lawns of freshly cut grass. We were not privileged nor were we maintained at an acceptable level. But there was one thing we were: loved.  This is why I constantly seek acceptance in a world that sometimes does not understand my heart.

My life is different than most, but it is filled with love – just as I was taught as a child. I learned to feel love and accept it as well.

As my struggles come and go, I am thankful for my unconventional life. It has given me the ability to survive. I feel things at a very high level, and because of that I can sometimes see the goodness when others cannot.

So I now have a quest. I cannot fail. I am surrounded by love. And I am in love. But in order to honestly feel that love, I must be focused and content, open and honest, loving and caring.

I attribute all of this to the way I was brought up. And although I may have feelings of sorrow and abandonment, because of my mother, I will never feel unloved.

This is why I will never be a motherless child.