Ralph Kellog was an only child raised by a single mom who was emotional and physical abusive to him. He knew at four years old he was different ;he liked playing with dolls, didn’t fit in with the other boys, was bullied at grade school and middle school, and would run home to hide. He had no one that he could talk to about who he was, and he learned not to fully trust adults .In high school he met a good friend named Tommy where they met in ROTC .Tommy  supported Ralph and new that he was gay . They became good friends. However, when they went out to a lake with friends and boated  to a small island, Tommy ended up drowning. Even though Tommy  was straight he was the love of Ralph’s life. Ralph not trusting adults was accelerated when he was outed at work by his boss. Ralph received  his MBA at Bellview University in Nebraska, and received another Masters Degree  in Conflict  Negotiations and Dispute Resolution . Ralph is the HR Director for Lutheran Family Services which has been around over 100 years and are leaders in adoption and behavioral health . Regardless of what Ralph went through he teaches us empathy and forgiveness.