"Make me breathe, I want to be a new man, tired of the old one, out with the old plan."

Wow, times have changed... and I am in the midst of change. I now own a wallet that is semi girly and has the color purple incorporated in it as opposed to a wallet with an iron cross and a skull. However, that is merely a superficial fact in the grand scheme of things.

On a more serious note, this time last year I was a high school Senior.... examining my high school life. Most of my teachers are gone, and the high school is not the same place since our class left. Well, the place is the same, but... Times change. People change. More than one person I went to school with as been arrested. More than one person has married, and several are now parents. Many have either decided not to go to school or have dropped out already... and most recently, someone that I used to hang out with who is even younger than I am died from a drug overdose. Talk about a reality check. It is really hard for me to see the change for the worse within the 'roi. Some of the people I used to hang out with have definitely taken some bad paths in life. The irony is that I once envied some of the same people because they were well liked and had a sense of identity. Look at how things change..

Thank God for change... not that I ever actually was a bad kid... but I am so thankful that I was given the opportunities that I had during my high school career and was given the chance to grow. I am thankful that my mom kept me in check to some extent and that my circumstances allowed me to mature. For once, I am truly grateful for my childhood and my past.

I sense that more changes are coming... as I am breaking free... and starting to feel my heart beat again. Right now I'm laying things down... and saying carry me... make me the person that I truly am.. the person that I am destined to become... I don't want to be a dead man anymore... and the great thing is that I don't have to be... because it's Christmas.. and we have all been given the Breath of Life... as long as we believe... how incredible is that? Like the shepherds following the star, I stand in pure awe and admiration... Carry me, "make me breathe." =]