I have finally found peace within my own destruction. He, the Lord, has sent me so many messages. He has reached out to me in so many ways. I always knew that but i didn't care to follow him and his ways. I don't know what it was, i just didn't want to believe. I have only heard good things about him but never really cared to know more. In many ways i was scared. I've caused so much hate, so much pain and so many tears but for some reason he still cares. I am finally ready to accept him.

I was born Catholic and to this day i still am a Catholic. My family, mostly my mother, showed the value of morals, hard work and respect. We where never really spoke of the Lord but we knew about him. I grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles. As a kid i received good grades, played baseball and didn't get into serious trouble. All around i was a good kid. I was well liked, i respected others and was proud of who i was. I enlisted in the U.S Army at age 17 and after graduating high school i went off to basic training. My first couple of months in the Army where a bit awkward. It wasn't very hard it was just that i had never been away from home for so long. Eventually i t got easier, i made new friends, i was getting used to the lifestyle and i was growing as a person. A couple years into my enlistment i was enjoying myself. I was earning my own living, i was having and i loved being a soldier. I did have some down moments but nothing really serious. I slowly went the ranks in my squad and finally became the squad leader. I was on top of the world. I was finally the man. I had it all, to include the woman i loved at my side. Life was good. Nothing could bring me down....

It was September 2003 when we were introduced. At first it was for fun. Then i invested more and more of my time and resources. By November 2003 i was hooked, gambling had taken over my life. I lived for the box score. All i cared about was what teams i picked and what the spread was. Nothing else really mattered after that. The trap had been set and i was "all in."

I had became a totally different person. I was longer that nice guy everyone knew me as. I became a thief, a liar and a fake. I first i stole from my roommate, then i stole from my company then i stole from my mother. I was discharged from the army with a bad conduct discharge and served 9 months in a military prison, i was fired from my job and eventually served 9 months in a California prison and now my mother doesn't speak to

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