Shawn Perkins-Greene here.  Know it's been a while since I last wrote; things been crazy here (but in a good way!).

I am now officially a part of the Greene family.  My foster parents are now my parents; they adopted me several months back.  It was intimidating having to go in front of the judge; I am sooo glad that's overwith!  And my foster brothers Gideon, Mark, and Corey are officially my brothers while Paige is officially my sister.  And get this:  Quaneesha and Q'urionka, my real-life sisters, are also a part of the family:  we were reunited several months back, and now ma and pa Greene adopted them, so we are together again, for good!

I still have my issues with Mark, Corey, and Paige, but on and all, they aren't that bad, once you get to know them.  Corey can be a pain because he's mentally retarded, but I know he can't help it; I must learn to be patient with him, especially when he misbehaves (which is often).  And I know Gid can't help walking with crutches or braces; at least the kid can walk!

Quaneesha, Q'urionka, and myself have been trying to catch up on old times; it's been a while since we last saw each other.  For a while, I thought that would never happen; I prayed to God about it, and He answered my prayers in a very big way!  We are always hanging around together; I guess we all feel that if we don't, we'll never see each other again.  We'd been apart for far too long as it is; now it's catch-up time for us!

I love my school; I've since settled in and have made a whole new group of friends; yet on the other hand, I think of my friends back home in New York City, where I lived until last year.  Like my friend, Goon Perkins, who still manages to keep in touch with me.  In fact, I talked to ol' Goon just last night, and he sounded great!  I just wish he could move down here, but he's happy where he's at; he promised we'd keep in touch and never lose the friendship we share with each other.

Goon tells me he's lost fifty pounds; he now weighs 575 pounds!  He also told me he's brought up his grades in school and is on the honor roll.  He is doing very well for himself.  I guess you can say I am too, especially now that I have my sisters back in my life and have a new family!

Yet on the other hand, I can't be entirely joyful:  it was almost five months ago when my grandmother, who raised me and my sisters, died.  I miss her so much; she was the rock that held us together; she was the one who stepped in when my stupid parents stepped out and ditched us.  She became more than a grandmother:  she was like a mother, the mother we never even had.  She died in September of last year just before I ended up in Alabama, and before I got separated from my sisters.  It was a very bad time.

My sister Q'urionka has nightmares about being raped; she sees a counselor to help her deal with the memories.  It's starting to make a difference:  she doesn't have nearly as many nightmares as she used to, but she still remains quiet and withdrawn, especially around strangers or particularly around men.

Quaneesha has nightmares about when grandma had been attacked; amazingly enough she wasn't raped, which was a miracle.  She is seeing the counselor too; she and Q'urionka see the counselor as a team; that way, the counselor can talk to the both of them and try to help them deal with repressed memories.

I see the counselor too, but I see her because I am having problems with guilt about not being a better brother to my sisters or not being able to protect my grandmother from getting attacked by the thugs when she got mugged.

Well, I have to go; supper fixin' to come on in a few.  Pizza and garlic bread.  Mmmm, my favorite!  A perfect meal for a cold winter's night!  (Good thing I'm not back in New York:  they've been inundated with snow this winter, and in a few days they're fixin' to get clocked again with another storm that promises to be something to be reckoned with!)  Take care and may God bless you always!  Pizza sure does smell good!  YUM!!

~Shawn.  (From now on, I'm no longer "Dangerous".  My new nickname is "Determined".  That is me, all over! :) )

*to be continued.*