I came across an article today that caught my eye talking about how doctors who are doing autopsies in New Hampshire are seeing a huge increase in deaths due to drug overdoes, even to the point they can't keep up with them. As a society we are also seeing a large increase in suicides year over year. This tells me that to many people feel trapped and are either turning to drugs to escape the pain they feel or by leaving this life. It breaks my heart very much when I hear and read these types of stores and hear about increased numbers in these areas. I don't pretend to know all the pain people feel and what causes people to feel like they have no way out, but I do know that there are billions of people on this earth and billions that have lived and problems are not new. Someone out there has had the same problem and felt the same way and has been able to push forward and keep going no matter the situation. I don't say that to make light of problems and emotions people have, because they are very real but what defines us is how we decided to face those problems and heart ache. 

     I am not immune from problems and there have been times in my life that I have felt depressed and lost. One time in particular was when I felt like I couldn't do anything right, I wasn't supporting my family financially like I felt I should. I was struggling with my job and finding like I added value there. I was pushing people away from me and I really just had a big chip on my shoulder that i was no good at anything. It got so bad that one evening my wife decided to take the kids over to her parents and let me wallow in my own self pity. I was so depressed and felt there was no way out I contemplated ending it all. I had a way to do it and I sat on my bed thinking about ending my life. I thought came to me about how my children would be without a father and what that would mean for them. Thank goodness for the thought of my children coming to me as it saved me from doing the unthinkable. When my wife got home I told her what almost happened and she was very sensitive and caring to help me talk it out. Things did not improve 100% over night, but they did get better, and as I learned that I have the control to change how I view my situation things really shifted for me. I can decide how to face my problems. I can look at them as a pain or as a blessing. We all struggle, but it is when we struggle that we learn the most. I love the saying that when you hit rock bottom, rock bottom can give you a great foundation to build from. I had hit rock bottom, but I have learned that I can grow from that foundation. I can view my struggles as learning experiences because I know that in order to progress in this life we have to struggle, we just can't give up.

     The picture just above is a sign we have hanging over our front door. This is to remind my children to Never Give Up as well as myself. The moment we decide to give up we loss all hope of a better future, we become trapped in our own self pity. I still have hard days and I still struggle, but I know that through that struggle is progress and learning. I remind myself everyday to never give up and to push myself to be better today then I was yesterday. We have a choice on what to do with our lives, I choose to make it as good as I can despite my struggles. 

To your success and to Never Giving Up,

Adam 

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