Happy Easter.

Happy Easter. This is a great essay and helps explains why I decided to train and why I'm running the Boston Marathon.

Elbalina's essay is one of the most elegantly written, but it also really shows the importance of a college education. Elbalina and her mother were homeless for an extended period, and that time was extremely difficult, and almost derailed Elbalina's education. Thankfully it did not. Elbalina will begin attending Worcester State College in the fall, but she will face many difficult times before earning a degree. We will be there to make sure she can graduate so that her children will never have to deal with the struggles that she has faced.
Elbalina's Essay
When I was thirteen years old my mom could not afford to pay rent anymore. As a result, we were evicted from our apartment in Brockton, Massachusetts. We were homeless for six months living with family in New Jersey. The family situation did not work out and we found out about a Women's shelter in Worcester, Mass from a family friend. After moving to Worcester and residing in the shelter for six months my mom finally found a small apartment that fit her budget. This experience changed my life because it taught me to be grateful for the little things and it also made me stronger. While I was homeless the things I missed the most were the irreplaceable things in life. For example, I was unable to retrieve my baby blanket or my first porcelain doll. I think not having my baby blanket affected me the most because I was always cold in the shelter. Being cold all the time made it difficult for me to do homework. In addition to being cold, I was constantly hungry which also made it hard for me to stay focus when I was doing homework. What I learned from this is that even something as simple as a blanket can make life easier. Another life lesson I took from this experience is that getting an education is important. Prior to being on disability my mother worked in a factory. With only an eighth grade education my mom couldn't find a better paying job to help her pay the bills. Seeing her struggle to pay the bills opened my eyes and made me realize how important having an education is. I'm determined to get the highest level of education possible so that I don't have to go through the same thing my mother did. Now as a senior at Worcester North High School I am motivated to go to college. Having to see my mom choose between not eating one month or not having heat was very difficult for me, especially since I was not old enough to get a job to help her. When I was homeless my grades plummeted so severely that I thought I wouldn't be able to finish eighth grade. Now with good grades and people supporting me I know I can go to college and succeed. Going to college will help me to achieve more than my mother did.

I'm off to the gym for a little visit and then grocery shopping for the BIG week.