11. distortions

“When the suffering is subtracted from joy, what remains?” – Jonathon Safran Foer

10. Acceptance

Before my sister was born, I talked to my mom about the possibility that the baby could have a birth defect. She told me, “As long as the baby is healthy, then we should be happy because a baby is always a blessing.” That’s what I believe as well. I’ve always admired parents who go over and above for their children and I’m proud to have parents who support me as well.

It’s a reassuring feeling knowing that the people you care about will accept you for who you are…

7. Personal

Part of the application process at UF required that I write an essay about something that changed my life. For me, that was the birth of my sister when I was sixteen. I had been the only child in our family and my parents were definitely not expecting to have another baby. Like all things in life, it just happened that way. I remember following her into the room full of babies where they give them all shots and clean them up. What I thought was odd was that while the other babies had been screaming their lungs out, my sister was quiet. Inside I began to panic. “Is it possible that her vocal cords are damaged and she can’t speak?” I thought. My mind started racing to what we would do for her and how different our family life would be. I snapped out of my fantasy world when the nurse gave her her first injection and she screamed loudly. Today my almost three year old sister won’t stop talking and singing. But it makes me wonder what life would have been like if she hadn’t been able to talk.