In a few months I will be completing another trip around the sun and be entering my 37th year on this planet. That sentence alone means nothing until I look back through my time on Earth; the people I’ve met, the places I’ve been, and the experiences I’ve had. When I do, I realize that everything had to happen just so in order for me to be sitting at a lookout on the Cherohala Skyway with a wife of thirteen years and two daughters. I don’t talk about my family on this account because it’s not really what people come here for but I feel today I need to.

If I had not joined the Army at 17, I wouldn’t have had the chance to go to college, where I met Crystal. Who knows what my life would be like if I wasn’t blessed to have such a strong woman by my side, especially in times where I was not myself: consumed by pills and alcohol, it is weird for me to look back at a time when I wanted to leave my family, and this world, behind. If it wasn’t for the support of her, I wouldn’t have put the gun down, stopped drinking, or flushed the pills. That day was truly the day when my post-military growth began. I vowed to be the man she fell in love with and made my kids my new mission.

Almost ten years later, I can’t say that those changes to my life have been easy and being a parent can really suck. I won’t ever pretend that I don’t have days where I get inside my own head and wished I had made a different choice. I won’t ever pretend to be a good dad or that I have all the answers. What I do know is that God put us all here for a reason and even after a war, job loss, suicidal thoughts, and many failures, this photo is my reason.

I don’t know who needs to hear this today but God has a plan for you. You may choose to see the suffering and the failures as neglect, but they’re making you stronger and once you recognize what your mission is, it’ll all make sense. You’re worth His sacrifice and you are worth fighting for. Do not choose to be a victim and be a better person than you were yesterday.

Happy Veterans Day to all my brothers and sisters out there. I love you all.