Chapter 5, Swift Awakening, is part two of five for the Black Foster chapter series. As I entered high school, life continued spiraling downward as I became completely lost in a world I couldn’t even begin to understand. I saw my friends maturing and forging ahead while I was stuck in a constant state of hopelessness. There was nothing desirable about the events leading up to my pivotal moment when I had to ultimately chose which direction I wanted to take my life.

I acted the part of a thuggish kid, but that was only on the surface. That cold-hearted persona never reached the depths of my soul, which may have been one of my saving graces. Deep down, I never really wanted to be that bad kid. I hated the person I had become and needed the combination of a wake-up call and a prayer help me find a way. My turnaround has been referred to as unlikely or unbelievable, but just as some can quit a bad habit at the drop of a hat, some individuals have the wherewithal to instantly change their ways without a profound explanation. In Swift Awakening, you’ll discover just how the stars aligned to help a completely dejected and broken child find his light. However, as quickly as my light shone, it dimmed with a blatant reality that I wasn’t quite cut out for the burden of society’s demands.