To some Bomani Wear is a clothing brand, but to me Bomani is a person.
Bomani is actually my middle name and it means warrior. I would say the name is fitting, considering the inner wars that I’ve fought. I’ve had epic battles against depression, anxiety, addiction, the streets, and even my faith, but by the grace of God those battlefields didn’t become my burial site.
believe it or not, the name didn’t just come from thin air, but from my father. He is Bomani, and our relationship has always been a bit…. Rocky.
Growing up I saw him, but I didn’t know him. It’s like he was close by yet not close enough. I acted out (that’s putting it nicely) because I was angry that although I had a father, I didn’t actually have a father figure. In 2005 right after high school, (I know I’m old) I was sentenced to prison for two years. Those years I spent away was the toughest years of my life, and my father wasn’t there.
Honestly, I got use to him not being there when I wanted him to be, it became the norm. But the son in me thought he would show up when I needed him. I was wrong. And I was crushed to later find out that he didn’t care to write me, or be in contact with me during one of the most traumatic periods in my life. My feelings was hurt to say the least, and instead of addressing those feelings I sulked in them until it turned into hatred.
Battling depression took a toll on me. Battling addiction sent me upstate. But this battle of unforgiveness changed me. It changed me so much that I didn’t even know or like who I was becoming. And every time I lost this battle, I lost a piece of me. The best pieces at that.
When I gave my life to Christ is when I realized how much I had been forgiven, even for those things that I didn’t even think to apologize for. And that forgiveness isn’t to be kept but shared. When I see the name “Bomani” on one of my shirts I’m reminded of the father who never left me, and of the person I need to forgive. I’m reminded that I need to be a warrior!