Everyone Has a Journey
In our lives we have so many different twist, turns, highs, and lows. At times it can often feel like our experiences are chapters; however, there’s always a chapter that sticks out like no other. Those particular chapters can be a lesson for someone else. My lesson, was a lesson of “humility”. In 2001, I was an active duty service member, going through a crazy separation and eventual divorce. I was completely stripped of everything to include possessions, and finances. During this time I held on to the only thing I had and knew which was, my “faith”. At the time, I was living in California and was homeless. Never had I thought I would be in this position, I worked a full-time job, made a decent living, but those factors did not make me exempt from this experience. A friend of mine was able to help me find a place to lay my head. I went from living in a home with my family to living in a small room with shared facilities. There was no comforts of home, no television to watch and no inviting others to my room. Those 8 months that I spent in a condemned building set the stage for the way I would view things in the future. My journey out of this situation started with acknowledging my actions, my immaturity and how I played a role in this chapter of my life. It was hard to swallow, but that acknowledgement was a step toward closing this chapter with self-evaluation and forgiveness.
First of all, I had to forgive myself for being immature with the way I handled some of life's experiences, because I was raised better than the way I was presenting myself at the time. Secondly, I asked the people whom I believed to be hurt by me for forgiveness and apologized for my immaturity. After thinking about my challenges, going through those difficulties was the best thing that could have happened to me at the time. Although it was very difficult while it was happening, it allowed me to re-evaluate my priorities and find myself again. In 2015, I shared my story with my children and started to share my story with other people in the same situation that I was in. By staying true to my belief that things would get better and allowing God to take control, my life began to change and I’m better than I have ever been. I leaned on my necessity to be closely connected with God and understood that I’m in relentless need of His support. I know where my true strength came from and comes from, with God's guidance my journey continues.