We recently shared the story of how he threw his shoes out my car window because I made him buckle up. I would run out and grab them, he would unbuckle. I would bring them back, buckle him up, and he would throw them again. I'm not proud to say this... but I left those shoes on the side of the road and carried him home. This was the moment we both learned what it was with us.
Blood. Sweat. Tears. I didn't care if he threw a fit. I was gonna lean in every time.
If you know either of us at all, you know both of us are very stubborn, easily made angry, and we care for our people so much it hurts us. We get ourselves in trouble but usually always have a deep rooted cause.
He has been famous since day one. Baby J was a household name in Woodhill.
I've worked with a lot of kids over the years. But there's only one crew that gets the title "OG" around here. Thanks to his big cousin, he would join that group and become the youngest OG. He was part of the crew that taught me all that I know. He was part of the crew that watched me grow up right alongside them. He was the kid that saw me laugh, cry, yell, whisper, run to keep up, or lay down in exhaustion... we learned how to apologize and own our shit around the same time... still a work in progress! We sat in so many hallways with our fists tight when we didn't get our way. The bad days are bad. The good days are good. We still give folks the benefit of the doubt.
I am beyond proud of this young man. When he asked if we would walk with him for 8th grade night I got real emotional because so many times in life people acted like that moment wouldn't happen. But I knew.
Blood. Sweat. Tears. I'm gonna lean in every time.
