A Message for At-Risk Teen-Agers —
The Great Gifts of Loss, Sadness & Separation
Hang in there… this story is going to have a happy ending… and it was pretty tough getting there.
I was born and raised in Santiago, Chile until I was 12 years old when my parents brought me to the States. In those days (the 1960’s) the USA had a call worldwide for immigrants since it needed many workers. We were very welcomed; we had a green card right away, and it was easy for me to become a citizen by the time I was 21.
I was a typical LA kid. I went to a nice diversified school, Belmont High, which was near downtown. It was a relatively nice neighborhood. We had a big gang of friends. We went to the beach on the weekends, danced, we played as usual teen-agers. I was just a bit different though because I had a 2-year old sister that I cared for all the time – she was the “pet” of the group – she was constantly being held by one of my teenage friends; she was a happy child and a happy person to this day… Amen for that! Read more