Today is my middle son Jullien's 19th birthday. It feels weird that he isn't here with us to celebrate, living so far away in New York leaves me with only my Blog to mark his special day.
Jullien was my shadow...never allowing me to leave his sight for a moment. He was always very sickly when he was little. He developed pneumonia before the age of 1 & seemed to have bronchitis & asthma problems forever after that. As weak as his health was, his inner strength more than made up for it. He had such a strong, determined will in EVERYTHING he did. He expected nothing but perfection from himself.
His athletic abilities made him the star of every team he was on, baseball, basketball & football. He pushed, until he surpassed his own personal expectations of his self. He was fearless, never shying away from a challenge & there were many. In baseball he always played up with kids 2 or 3 yrs. older than himself, even under those circumstances he made every all star team.
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One particular year, at 10 yrs. old playing on the 11 & 12 year old all star team, Jullien received his uniform with his name spelled wrong. He went into the dug out to tell one of the coaches, who smugly replied, "It doesn't matter anyways, you'll be sitting on the bench." The coach figured that he'd be strictly minimum player because he was so young. Well that comment made Jullien so angry. He said, "I'll show him!" And he did...he became the starting centerfielder & had the second highest batting average in entire District 62.
He continues to carry that complete determination & drive as an adult. When people tell him he can't accomplish something or isn't going to achieve his dreams for whatever reason...Jullien pushes harder. He has truly mastered the saying, "Never Say Never." When others doubt him, or he doubts himself, he digs deep down, turns to his faith & trust in the Lord, pushes, seeks, & perseveres beyond the doubts.
Jullien w/ Pete Carroll
Jullien Varsity Linebacker
vacation-Jalama Beach
modeling in NY
Calvin Klein Presentation
William Rast/Justin Timberlake Fall 2010 show
Hisham Oumlil Fashion Show
My son is an inspiration. His fearlessness & inner strength, encourages me to tackle the unknown, chase after the hidden impossible dreams within.
I'm so proud of my son & the man he's become!
HAPPY 19th BIRTHDAY JULLIEN! YOU ARE A SPECIAL GIFT FROM GOD IN MY LIFE!
I LOVE YOU!!
