To all of my family and friends that came here tonight, according to numerous studies that have taken place over generations, it’s been shown that experiences are one of the leading factors of what truly make us happy. It wasn’t too far from here where I grew up in Ocoee where I was a kid full of excitement and questions for this world. My biggest passion was writing and creating music. It gave me a sense of joy and purpose. It was the simplest thing that I’ve always cherished along with all of the other simple things in life. Now that I look back at these past thirty years, it’s amazing how times have changed. It’s interesting how it led me to where I am today. And more importantly, it’s interesting where this journey will lead me and what the future holds for not only me but for all of us.
Everyone has a story. Every person. Back in the nineties when I was growing up, I went to a private school. It was called Hiawassee Christian Academy. Almost every day I went to class, I would hear a song. “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world,” is how it went. Hearing that over and over taught me to love and care for others. My parents always told me that, to them, I was everything. They constantly reminded me with their endless love and support which I’m forever grateful for. Eventually, I got older and went to Ocoee Middle School where I would transition from being a small boy to a teenager. It was a lot of fun. When I was fourteen, my parents and I moved to Clermont to a house in the middle of nowhere. I didn’t know a soul. Nobody. At first, I went to East Ridge High School for my freshman year. Then for my sophomore year, I moved to South Lake High School not too far away where I would stay until I graduated. On the very first day of school, I went into the auditorium where I sat down to wait to receive my schedule for class. As I was waiting, another kid came and unexpectedly sat right next to me. His name was Rob. We had a conversation and became best friends. One day the following year when I was in the cafeteria, I sat down at a table for lunch with a group of random strangers–all young Hispanic teenagers like myself. One of them looked at me and asked, “What do you like to do?” And I said, “I love to write and make music.” His name was Andres. We continued the conversation, and I found out that he was also into making music. From that point on, we ended up making numerous songs, performing in the school talent show, and also becoming the best of friends. Later that same year, I was over at Andres’s house to make a song and play basketball. He told me that he wanted to go to his friend’s house in the neighborhood to hangout. We walked over there, and I saw this kid wearing boxing gloves. We had a conversation, and I found out that we, too, had many things in common including, later, our birthday. His name was Oscar. We, too, then became great friends. A couple years later, Andres ended up moving out of state, but we would still keep in touch and share music with each other. I didn’t know it at the time, but it turned out that all three of them would be my lifelong friends.
All of these memories we’ve shared are engrained in my head. It’s been a long journey. Fast forward to fourteen years later, and I’m happy to see just how far we’ve all come. I’ve created mixtapes, I’ve graduated from college, I’ve moved to three different cities, I’ve traveled around the country, and I’ve worked different jobs. I never thought I would have become a debt counselor or an insurance agent and that I would have moved down to West Palm Beach in a high-rise apartment. Dad, I’m happy you always kept at your canopy business. I know, for you, it was not only your own business but your livelihood and passion. Mom, I’m proud of the fact that after thirty-one years, you finally retired from working for the State of Florida which for many of those years was for social services. I think that’s great. Andres, it’s amazing to see you here with your wife and the three kids whom I’ve met and to be able to still hear your songs. You know I’m always going to be a huge fan no matter what. Oscar, I’m proud of the fact that you moved to south Florida after your previous job traveling all over the country, and now you’re a successful biomedical engineer working at a hospital. I told you at the end of 2012 when I went over to your house one day that we’d make it, and sure enough, we did. And Rob, you’re right there with him doing tech support and always guaranteeing that we have an amazing time every time that we all hang out. This is how it should be. For me, it’s almost like a fairytale–a dream.
More importantly, I’m excited for the future. I know the past year and a half was devastating for millions of people out there and many of us. We had a once in a century pandemic which we’re still dealing with today, the greatest recession since the Great Depression, and a massive amount of uncertainty, anxiety, and depression. If anything, I think the greatest lesson I’ve learned from this is how valuable life, and each of us, truly is. I look forward to living it up to the fullest. I look forward to hopefully buying a house, traveling more, getting back into the music business, writing more, reaching my fitness goals, maybe getting married and having kids of my own someday, and overall, just being happy. I’m excited to see how all of us progress and to create new and lasting memories. In the end, all we have is each other. Being happy matters. Having the right group of family and friends to associate with matters. Having a sense of purpose matters. Having great experiences should matter. One day in the distant future, I want to look back at not only this moment here tonight but all of the years that led up to that point, and I want to know that everything I did was worth it. I hope I can make all of you proud the same way many of you have made me proud.
There’s a quote by Dr. Seuss that’s very simple yet very impactful. “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” It’s true. Tonight, let us celebrate not just three decades of my existence or Oscar’s existence but how beautiful of a journey life has been. Let us celebrate our success in the present moment. Let us celebrate for a better and more prosperous future. I promise that no matter how far I may be or how hard things may get, I will always be a phone call away. I’ll always be here for all of you, if not physically, then in spirit. Thank you all for coming out tonight. Thank you for always being there for me. And like the Danish singer MØ says in her song, “don’t let this be our final song.” So, let’s raise our glasses up–figuratively or literally. And to the start of many better days–para arriba, para abajo, para al centro, y para a dentro, which for those who don’t know what that means, it’s a Spanish toast. Thank you all very much.
With love, forever and always,
Carlos.
05/05/21