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Mr. Chiaravalli

AP English

27 September 2016

Time Cant Heal All Wounds

When I was 7 years old my mom bought me a new Timex watch. It was black with a glowing

orange face, and it quickly became my most prized possession. I couldnt wait for my dad to

return from his business trip so I could share my excitement with him. We picked him up from

the airport on a saturday afternoon. I scrambled down the terminal grinning from ear to ear and

met him with the biggest hug my little arms could give. I started to muster out the words Daddy,

look at my new- my excitement was cut short by a quote so daunting, I can still hear his exact

tone of voice to this day Sean, did you get fatter?

The physical abuse I could always deal with. Whether it was him throwing a remote or a

kitchen chair at me, barely missing my skull, I would walk away fine. The mental abuse

however, was another story. If he wasnt calling me fat, he was calling me dumb, worthless, ugly

or one of the many other words in his arsenal. These words struck deeper. Enough so to be

diagnosed with PTSD at the age of 10, and spend the next 3 years in intense therapy in hopes to

reverse what my dad had done.

Most kids of that age kiss their parents goodnight before they go to bed. Much like the

rest of my childhood, my version of this was rather abnormal. My dad had us say goodbye to my

mom before bed rather than goodnight, enshrouding us with the fear that she would no longer be

breathing when we woke up.

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One tuesday morning, everything changed. I walked down the stairs to get ready for

school. My mom, who will always be the strongest person Ive ever met, was sitting on the

couch deluged with emotions I will never understand. She proceeded to explain that my dad had

left in the middle of the night and wasnt coming back. I took that day off of school and went

with my mom to the courthouse and filed a restraining order and divorce papers. It was official.

The years of being beaten, all the hatred, all the abuse, it was all over.

Ive seen my dad one more time since then. He came home a few weeks after leaving for

the first time. When I saw him I seemed to forget all he had done. The years of abuse seemed to

just wash away and a sense of normality seemed to appear in my life. He hadnt changed, he was

the same person he was for the previous 5 years, yet my inner child that had been everything but

destroyed by the previous years events, began to emanate and all I could see was a dad that

might love me. I followed him into the basement where he found a box that he quickly carried

into his green Buick LeSabre. He climbed into the drivers side and sped off once again without

a goodbye. As he went, the top of the box fell off, revealing its contents. Its been awhile since

that day, and in that time Ive experienced a lot however, I dont think Ill ever feel as

overwhelmed with emotions as I did that day I found out a box of CDs was more important to

my dad than his only son.

It is often said God gives his toughest battles to his toughest soldiers. I am a firm believer

of this. What happened to me is awful and I wouldnt wish it upon my worst enemy, but it made

me stronger and shaped me into the person I am today. It taught me appreciation for even the

little things in life, as well as respect for everyone, especially women. These lessons impact me

every single day and I will take with me for the rest of my life.
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Common App Personal Essay Revision

Directions:
Incorporate significant portions of your creative revisions into your essay,
reworking or rewriting the essay so it makes sense with the new material
Apply all concepts from Words, Words, Words and Sentencing Sentences
lecture
Highlight all new additions or alterations on your new draft, using the
following colors:
Word choice = green
Sentence variety = yellow (automaticsee below)
Creative revision = blue
Note: Even if your revision is substantially different than your first draft, still highlight word choice,
phrasing, and passages that demonstrate your mastery of the skills listed.
Highlight and insert comments correctly labeling at least four different instances of
sentence variety you used (loose or balanced doesnt count)
Proofread your essay, fixing all issues of spelling, grammar, and conventions. Its a
good idea to have one or more other trusted people proofread it as well.