I was raised the youngest of seven in a family stitched tightly together by the Catholic faith. My father's life changed irreversibly before I was born when a traffic accident left him paralyzed. The thriving businessman redirected his life to advocate for those with disabilities, changing laws and lives in the process. 

From this, our family grew a deep belief in God's presence—that prayers could move mountains, that faith could shift the ground beneath our feet.

As a child, I lived in a smaller world, one where imagination was my escape and faith was as simple as making a wish. I spent hours drawing, dreaming and fighting off Shredder's Foot Soldiers with my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures. Like any child with a fervent heart, a wild imagination and an untested belief, I prayed with everything in me to become something special. Specifically, a real life Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. I believed if God could transform my father's life so profoundly, why not mine?

My ridiculous prayer was never answered, of course. And my blind, unwavering faith eroded over time, washed away by my justified skepticism in religious institutions. But years later, when I remembered that foolish wish, it lingered. What if God had said yes? What kind of life would that have been? What would it have done to my once-unwavering faith?

In exploring those questions, I found Pontormo—a character born from the convergence of unshakable faith and the stark realities of growing up. His story speaks to the gap between who we dream to be and the wisdom found in who we really become.