My Faith Kept Me Going

By Carldell Johnson

On December 9, 2011 Carldell Johnson signed with the New Orleans Hornets training camp roster, where he became a home town favorite. After he was released from the New Orleans Hornets, Johnson returned to the Austin Toros where they won the NBA Development League Championship. Prior to signing with the New Orleans Hornets, Johnson was featured in a

• Language: English
• Publisher: VIP Ink Publishing, L.L.C.
• Release date: Jun 24, 2014
• ISBN: 9781939670120

Book preview

Chapter 1

Fatherhood

To the man who set the blueprint thus far in my life, it may be a long time before we meet again, so I will take this moment to thank you for everything…

What up Dad? I'm here telling everyone what you taught me, and how you inspired me to

be better. Each and every day goes by, I show them a product of you. I miss you more and

more the older I get. I want to have a bunch of conversations with you just to know how

to deal with my situations. You have prepared me to be a man, and the older I get, I can't wait to have a kid to show them how to be a great father. So much of me is like you. I

think like you, respond to drama in the same manner as you, and my overall demeanor is

like yours. I tend to come across as a passionless person with nonchalant body language, but even that comes from you. In most situations, I am quiet, simply observing, yet

people think of me as a person they enjoy being around.

Do you remember after our high school basketball game when Cliff had both of his

girlfriends outside waiting for us after the game? He and I both stayed in the gym,

nervous, not knowing how to handle the situation. You were so cool. You told Cliff to

take the one he liked, got in the truck, and said, Let’s go home. Dad, that was so cool.

You always had that even-keel mentality. I didn’t have many friends WITH the type of

relationship with their parents that I had with you. I am so grateful for my relationship with my YOU.

I can go on and on with stories about you in pressure situations where you didn't panic. I remember when this big drug dealer in the neighborhood was looking for my uncle

because he stole his drugs. The dealer came to our house and said, "I know where y'all

live. He better bring it back. You responded so calmly, saying, I know where your

momma lives too, so you better come correct." Dad, you always spoke in truth and

confidence.

When you returned home from your last stint in the U.S. Army, I was so happy. Moving

in with you was like a new beginning. Sky View Terrace Townhomes were a safe haven

for me. I was the new kid on the block, but in a good way, especially when it came to

sports. In Sky View, all they did was play fun games, like pitch-up tackle, cool cans,

bulldog, curb, four squares, and most of all, basketball. Da, do you remember when I

came home and told you I met this guy named Cliff, who like me, was nine years old, but

he played basketball on Digby playground. This was a team of twelve-year-olds who

were led by Hollis Price, who later became an All American Collegiate Athlete. Cliff was

considered the neighborhood lucky kid. He had a basketball hoop in his back yard, and

everyone would go to his house to play. He was the only boy of his siblings. He and I

became best friends through our love of sports. When Cliff’s mom moved away from Sky

View, thanks for letting him stay in our home. You took him in and he became more like

a brother.

I now appreciate the type of atmosphere you created in the neighborhood—all the kids at

my house, playing ball or hanging out. Remember when I asked for a basketball hoop in

our small backyard like Cliff, but instead you decided to use the whole front yard to

build a ball court in front of the door? We would play on the goal all night; it was so bad the neighbors called the police and claimed we had drug dealers hanging in front of