Some things in life you never expect. They appear suddenly, like a meteor that refuses to be destroyed, burning bright in the upper atmosphere until it crashes, creating an empty abyss in the peaceful area that was your simple life. Sometimes after the impact it becomes a dark and terrifying cloud that blocks the sun, making you lose sight of what's in front of you. Other times surviving the initial explosion opens your eyes to how truly lucky you are to be alive. The birth of my little brother was certainly very important for both of us. His birth tested our family by showing its obvious weakness and led my mother to leave her abusive relationship with her father. Change is always a destructive process, in the moment it is chaotic and you can rarely understand what it is leading to. Looking back it was the best thing. Our family is now happy and successful even though we are no longer a “family.” It all started when my mother met Chris. She ran into him while working as a waitress at a restaurant, trying to maintain a precarious balance while raising two children alone and attending nursing school full time. It was a really big order. They started dating and after a few wacky months they got married. I remember the wedding clearly. Dressed in my tuxedo, I was so happy for both of us and myself. Growing up I never knew my father and now I was excited to finally have one. Things went well for a while. But as Chris began to drink more, he transformed from the caring man my mother knew and loved into a vicious, uncaring man. Sometimes I didn't understand why she stayed with him, but in her mind being married meant trying to deal with problems, no matter how daunting, so she especially tried for me and my brother. Then out...to the center of the paper...again. He really recovered, that was the best part. As far as I know, today he is completely sober and has a good relationship with his son. Things in life rarely go as planned or expected. When Rowan was born, I thought he would have to endure the turbulent and violent lifestyle that my brother and I had dealt with in our short time together. I thought my mother's marriage would be happy, I was wrong about both of them. Both were rotated three hundred and sixty degrees, out of control like a broken compass. But somehow the direction of that compass was still true. We were all brought exactly where we were supposed to be in life. Rowan showed all of us what we were made of, even if the foundation was weak, even if the building was ugly, even if it collapsed, we still lived in it, and using the rubble we built something beautiful..