Ramos Lewis
I was born in Jacksonville, North Carolina the twenty eighth of July in 1969. My father, Alfred Lewis was a Marine in the military and met my mother Aiko, in Okinawa Japan. We lived in Camp Legeune which was a Marine base in North Carolina. I have an older brother Rico and a younger brother Juan. My mother was a very strong and wonderful woman. She left her country, family and culture to move down here to the United States to raise us. She had to learn a new language, a new culture and a new way of life but she did all that and more. While my dad moved to a Marine base in California, my mother was left to raise all three of us all by herself. She did a wonderful job might I add. We moved to Houston, Texas to be close to family while my dad made a career out of the Marines. My dad is from Houston and all is brothers and sisters where here to help out. I’ve lived here the rest of my life so far.
My mother was the type of mother everyone loved. At family gatherings, my mother was the first one there and almost the last one to leave, serving and cleaning up. When friends come over to our house to play, she would bring out sandwiches and kool-aid. I think that’s why my friends love to be at my house. Her culture and the way she was brought up is why she was like she was and that’s why she was so loved. My dad was in the military most of my life so she was more or less my mom and my dad. I looked up to her so much and I tried to be like her. She was the nicest person to people so I portrayed myself to be like her. I guess that’s why a lot of people tell me that I’m a nice guy. When my mother passed away in 2001, that was the hardest thing that I have ever had to deal with.
When things happen in your life that doesn’t go your way, we always say that the Devil is sure busy. But sometimes God is the one that put obstacles in your way, to see which way you turn. Will you turn left and do it on your own or will you turn right and seek God. I’ve had so many obstacles in my way and my mother’s death was one of them. I’ve had death stare at me in the face a few times but I’ve always turned to God and He has delivered me from them all. It has brought me closer to God now, I could say that I went to church a lot but I felt I was playing church. I can say that I have a relationship with Him now.
