He was the darling of his teachers as he was smart, witty, and fun. He dressed sharp and stood tall regardless of being modestly poor. He finished high school and was drafted and served in the military as it was required. There he was loved by his commanders, enlisted, and all others he met there. He was put in charge of his unit as he was the fairest of all. He put the soldiers before the officers as he loved and cared for them as they were his brothers in arms.

His commanders trusted him to the extent that they never questioned his integrity or his motives in doing his job. That was respect hardly given to a low-ranking soldier. Being righteousness was his motto. He never took what wasn’t his and gave to others what was his.

He was everyone’s shepherd as he believed in turn; they were all his shepherds, and they will look after him as he looked after them. He was kind to all, and they all were kind to him.

Life was hard but fun. He had the dream of being bigger than life. He wanted to work hard to become successful in making his family proud and helping them as they had helped him along. The opportunities were limited as the country was poor, although it was growing. He looked for opportunities in other lands. At times it seems impossible to achieve the dreams he had. But he was determined to succeed no matter how hard and at what costs. And there was his and his family’s guardian angel. A man, a real man, and a Godly man! His mother had worked for him when she was a teenager looking after his young children. He accepted her as his own and helped her many times throughout her life when she needed assistance or advice. He was a very important man. He was the education minister and had become very fond of her children and encouraged them to educate themselves and was always ready and available to help them along.

Once Rock had finished his military time, he and his mother went to visit the guardian angel with the good news and to pay him respect. The mother asked for his help to send Rock to America, the land of opportunity where all was possible. He agreed and arranged for him to immigrate to America. An opportunity that was not offered or at all possible for families with low income. But he was powerful and influential as he practically demanded from the consulate general to accommodate his move to America. Again, it was God’s blessing; he was to be his family’s guardian angel all through their lives.