Overwhelming Odds Jacob Fulwider

When I joined my high school basketball team as a freshman, I had no idea the kinds of perseverance I would need to make it through even a couple weeks of practice. As the practices went by, I started to really listen to what the coach had to say, because it applied to our lives outside the basketball court. Every practice, he would line us up and tell us that men need three things to make it through a tough situation (he was referring to basketball, but I applied it to my own life): order, patience, and courage. Little did I know I would need all three to persevere through the toughest time in my life: my parents’ divorce.

Order is important in life, because it makes life organized and not just a jumbled-up mess. When my parents were in the process of divorce, I found out that they both wanted to have custody of me. Being only 16, I had no say in the matter, but when it came time for the judge to decide, he chose to give my mother three days of the week with me and my father four, and then the next week they would switch. Everyone seemed to like this surprising compromise. I think it is important to note that order kept from tearing my family apart more than it already was.

Patience is especially important, especially...