Motivational Scripture:
Psalms 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD,
and He will give you the desires of your heart.
My Purpose
We all have our designated path that we go through. Some are similar, some are a bit different but never 100% the same. We are a unique kind of people. Since the age of 7, I had the dream and goal of becoming a teacher. I wanted to be able to change lives. Several teachers that I have had throughout my childhood years as a student at public schools have had a significant and grateful impact on me. It has affected me in such a way that I wanted to be that person that made a difference, the one that continued to persevere.
Memory Lane
To those of you who do not know me very well, In December of 2013 I was diagnosed with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, a rare throat cancer. I know I had a big challenge before. Tears continued to roll down my face. But I had to keep my mind focused. Going through my battle with cancer was one of the roughest milestones and challenges of my life at the age of 16. In 2014 I had an even rougher experience with the after-effects of radiation. I remember countless times when I had to see my oncologist because of the adverse effects that were going on.
There were times when I got honestly got tired of going through what I was dealing with. I felt like my dream of becoming and wanting to be a teacher was coming to a halt. I did not know exactly what to do at this point. I was on my death bed several times. It was only by the grace of God that I was able to be discharged from that hospital every time. I kept my eyes on the prize. I continued to look at the website of colleges of where I wanted to go to get my degree. I was working on something. In working on something, you must have a plan. I had my mind made up. I my heart set on being a teacher, regardless of what I was dealing with.
God is Faithful to His Promises
Many of You don't know, but I am one of the first of my family (The Gardner Family) who is persistent in pursuing my education. On yesterday in preparing to close the chapter of my being in college as an Undergraduate Student, I was recognized at East Carolina University as being a "First Generation" College Student. I tell God thank you, as tears rolled down my face yesterday as I was leaving campus from the event. I realized had I stopped and decided not to keep chasing my dreams in 2014, I never would have seen this day. In writing this post, I pray that to the individual who is reading that you are inspired, and the portion of my story has had a great impact on your life. We all have tests and trials, but that does not define, WHO WE ARE, nor WHO GOD CALLED US TO BE.
DECEMBER 15TH, I WILL SEE YOU IN EXACTLY 2 WEEKS.
Celebrate with Anthony!
If you desire to attend my Graduation Celebration, please be sure to reserve your space as I will not be accepting any additional invites or RSVP's after December 9th! Click Here if you would like to Attend My Celebration! If you would like to send a gift, you may CLICK HERE!
GOD BLESS!
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