As I lay here in bed, and vainly try to get some sleep before I start my final college semester tomorrow, I find myself thinking about the past few years of my life and how blessed I am. Since leaving the military, I have worked hard to make each day count. Since hanging up my uniform, leaving my duty station and aircraft maintenance unit behind, I spent years fighting depression while longing to find identity and purpose in my newly appointed civilian life. And while some days have been tougher than others, I have no regrets.
After separating from the military, I met and married my beautiful wife (now of 3 years) who has kept me motivated and never allowed me to doubt myself. She gave me our baby boy who never fails to give daddy his daily dose of laughter. Seeing him smile serves as a reminder of how important it is to remain positive no matter how heavy life gets.
The two of them give me my identity of both husband and father. And that is the greatest purpose I could ever ask for.