Souvenirs from Shoreline Aquatic Park

Lion’s Lighthouse at Shoreline Aquatic Park in Long Beach, CA

Could you tell me about a person who has had a profound impact on your life?

"It would be my Mom. My Mom has been unconditionally loving and I find in a world where we have to earn most everything we get, it's rewarding to have someone in my life that loves me, no matter what I do.

My mom and I didn't get to see that much of each other when I was young. She's in my life full force now, so I feel like we're making up for lost time. Getting to do all those things we didn't do before.
It was a really fierce custody battle between my parents and the way the courts ruled I didn't get to see my mom very much.

Looking back now, I wish things would have fell differently, but they didn't. It happened the way it happened, and all I can do is work on today.

We're working on a hike right now. Probably on the Kalalau Trail, which is in Kauai. It's one of the more dangerous trails. She's done it several times, and I've done part of it but I had to turn around and go back, so I'm kind of determined to make it all the way. My mom loves the outdoors. She's a kayaker, she loves to hike and she's a biker. She does all the outdoor stuff, so I got that from her."

– Abby

“I’d say my mother. She left me when I was young for reasons...complications, but up until I was about 10 years old, we would visit. She battled with cancer and throughout her time you could tell she had problems, but she was like a shining star every time I saw her. She passed away October 1st. It was either the very last day of September or the first day of October last year. That was after a couple years of no contact because she was in a bad condition. 

It's hard to put into words, but she has an impact on me because I'm learning more about her after her passing than when I knew her when I was little. It feels like I'm meeting her, even though she's not around. Each thing I learn about her, it shows me that I should be proud of where I come from because everything I've heard about her is that she was a good person and a loving person and a kind person. I try to be like that. 

One time when I was really little me and her went to a Target and I was whining because I wanted a toy that I couldn't get. She sang to me a Rolling Stone song. You don't get what you want, you only get what you need. Looking back, it's a sweet moment. The way she handled it, instead of getting mad at me for wanting this thing, she tried to do it in a kind way, and I feel like that's how everybody should take things.

It's difficult losing somebody so close and it was worse because she was so far at the same time. I've been around loss a lot as I've grown and each time I would lose someone or something I would think of it as a bad thing, but since I lost her I realized that losing someone is only part of the process of knowing someone. Each day you walk by people and those people have loved someone, lost someone, and possibly been through worse. Through how she taught and treated me when I was young, I try to extend that love and kindness out in the world. I like to see myself as an extension of her.”

– Dameon

March 9, 2025