With this story, I hope to inspire that anything in this world is possible.

Before I moved to Georgia, I lived with my grandmother in a small apartment in Boston, Massachusetts. I had to live with her because my mom was in a horrible car accident and my dad couldn't take care of me either because he was in jail. While in Boston, I had to learn to grow up very quickly. I mean, my grandma was 84 years old and had an amputated leg - it was very hard for her to get around so we had to help each other. We were also very poor. We had hardly any money, but a nice group of people bought us groceries and helped pay our electric bills. 

I was so excited when the grocery man came so I would finally have someone to talk to. We were very thankful for their help.

But in Boston, we always lived in fear that one day I might be taken away and put in foster care, just like my sister Jessie. She was taken away by the state and put in foster care, and to this day, she is still in foster care. I just love her so much, and I pray that one day she might get adopted by a very good family.

One day, straight out of the blue, Gram-gram said, "Jason we are going on vacation, a vacation to Atlanta, Georgia." Before she could even finish her sentence, I was jumping with glee. I could finally get out of that old apartment.

But I learned a lot in that old apartment. I learned my colors by looking at the world around me. I learned my awesome vocabulary by watching TV late at night. And I learned all my car makes and models by playing with matchbox cars. I learned to take care of my grandma, but especially to take care of myself.

But you want to know something? I was ready for that vacation. We got on an airplane and headed down to Georgia. When we got here, someone helped me wheel grandma off the airplane and through the airport to the two people we were staying with - Joe and Jennifer Grady.

I didn't know it at the time, but these would be my new parents. They are very nice. They got us a quick bite to eat, and then when we got to their house, I could not believe it. They lived on a farm! They had horses, they had rabbits, they had chickens and a dog and a cat. And those rabbits are just so cuddly, and boy was I scared of their dog. There used to be very vicious dog that ran around the neighborhood, and sometimes it kept me from going outside. So that's how I got so scared of them.

Gram-gram decided to take a mini-vacation of her own to Florida to visit her brother and she left me with the Gradys. I had the best week I've ever had in my entire life. Ms. Grady took me to the store and bought me some shoes that finally fit my feet, some clothes, and she even bought me a toy. She also took us to a restaurant. I got along with the animals as well. The Gradys taught me how to write my name and began to teach me numbers. And then finally Gram-gram came back from Florida, and I just knew our vacation was over. But then, we had a very important meeting.

"Jason," she said. "You have a very important decision to make - would you like to come back to Boston with me or would you like to stay here and start a new live?"

I thought for just a moment and then I said, "Gram-gram, I am going to stay here and start a new life." I just knew it was the right thing to do. For a moment, I felt like I let my Gram-gram down. But I just knew it was the thing I had to do. Like they always say, a man's got to do what a man's got to do. I just did what I had to do.

I also began to worry about her - who is going to take care of her back in Boston and who is going to help her get around?
I stopped worrying so much about that and started worrying about my new life. What do I have in store for my new life, and what do my new parents have in store for my new life? And what does God have in store for my new life? I thought it about it over and over until I finally got home.

So it just goes to show, if you make the right decisions in life, everything in this world is possible. And now look at me - I'm on stages giving speeches, I'm taking acting classes, have wonderful parents and a wonderful school support system. And now I have a lot of people on this earth who love me. Oh, and you know that dog I was so scared of when I first came to Georgia? Now we are best friends.

Jason Grady is a third grader at J.H. House Elementary School. He gave this speech from memory at a recent Rockdale County Public School Board meeting.