2020 SMH

Ten Months of Disappointment by James G. Murray, III “If you’re afraid to fail, then you’re probably going to fail.” — Kobe Bryant Now that I have your attention, I would like to tell you my story. You might not think my story is important or interesting, but trust me IT IS. I have gone through a lot of bad stuff this year. Even though this year has been really difficult, I am still standing strong because of hope and prayer. Join me as I tell you my story of how 2020 has been a disaster, but in every dark cloud, there is a silver lining. It all started in January of 2020. I was at my church hanging out with my friends. We were talking about everything, including the coronavirus. We took the virus as a joke because we could not imagine anything named so ridiculous as corona could be real. I was wrong!. While I did not lose any member of my family so far, a low point for me this year was when I learned one of my favorite basketball players died. His name was Kobe Bryant. Kobe for life! Well, one month went by. It was February and it was my birthday. I was so excited because I thought that this year was going to be lit. This year was one of the best birthdays because my friends and I spent the whole day just messing around. After school, we ate at Oliver Garden, which is one of my favorite restaurants. I had the Chicken Parmesan. It was delicious. What an unforgettable day. Two weeks later, one of the best rappers of his generation, Pop Smoke, died. Woo for life! Is this what life is like–one disappointing moment after another? In March, I had a serious conversation with my parents. My mother told me that she was diagnosed with cancer. I took it the hardest in my family. I would give anything to trade places with her. It was at month three. Could it get any worse? I couldn’t stop thinking about her for a while. Eventually, she finished six rounds of chemotherapy. She had surgery in September. Now, she has multiple treatments of radiation, and she has to take pills for a year. I am happy that her cancer battle is almost over. I was struggling with my old school. I did not like the way everything was running at my school. I applied to Science leadership Academy and was accepted. It was September, and the first month of school was great. I guess the moral of the story is life is full of many seasons, but sunny and bright days will come.