*In celebration of my dad’s birthday*

It’s no secret on here that I was raised in a church-going family, especially with my dad being a reverend. Sunday church absence was not acceptable and long hours of hearing my dad lift up a congregation was the norm. I’ll always be grateful because it taught me to be grounded in a strong faith with the flexibility to experience my own. Just picture a Hispanic-gospel-infused Tony Robbins and you get my dad. There was always certain attire I had to wear (whether I liked it or not). I wasn’t able to play with all the church kids during sermons because I had to set the example. I learned to stay on my knees for long extended periods of time. I grew the comfort to be in front of a large group of people from a young age and grew very fond of listening to people’s stories of triumph and faith. In the hundreds of Sundays I’ve tallied up in church, I’ve learned a few things that I can attribute to being a better artist, business owner and overall person.

Sure there’s that certain stigma of being a PK where they might be the most outrageous partying loving kids, but not me. My dad didn’t stress my having to be an example per say, but he certainly stressed the importance of honor. So naturally, my perfectionist tendencies developed from, oh say, the tender age of six maybe? I had my moments where I questioned and pushed the boundaries maybe a little too far, but his stature made me strive for something higher and better. His love for people and service infused my love for stories and helping others. To this day, he’s always there and always believes in the best of people regardless of their background.

So happy birthday dad. We might not see eye to eye on everything, but your achievements and life altering moments have definitely paved a path for me to follow. I may not have gone to law school like we always talked about, but you understood my passion for people and imagery. I may not have been the best example of your love on earth, but JAH knows I try. I may bring up that your tie doesn’t go with your suit often and even though you retaliate, you always change. I’ll never have feet big enough to fill in your size 13 shoes, but they’ll walk far and wide as you always prayed. Lo quiero papi, feliz dia que nacio.

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