Some of us are born with a sense of agency over our lives. Some of us acquire this sense of agency at a later age while others never acquire it at all. I was born knowing that I was in charge of my own destiny. My stories are equal parts sad, humorous, and everything in between. For example, my father taught me how to drive a tractor at age three. At age thirteen, he taught how to artificially inseminate cows. Once, we almost lost a farm hand in our manure pit. Always Hope is my coming of age story grounded in the rural life, dairy cows, and one amazing Arabian horse.