A Time To Be Thankful.......A Time To Appreciate What We Have

The holidays have always been a difficult time for me. I have been through so much in my life that I have missed several holidays due to both good things and  some bad things. I have grown cold to these days when everyone is happy and full of holiday cheer. Some years I would  tell myself that there would be plenty more holidays to celebrate in the future when times where better to numb myself. I had missed so many holidays that missing another one wouldn't make a difference really.

But this year was different. Even though I have plenty of things that have gone wrong that I could be mad about,  I have plenty of things to be thankful for.

I am thankful for having a roof over my head and food on the table. I at one point found myself sleeping in other people's homes because I had no where to stay and no money to buy food.

I am thankful for my wife. I went through a really bad divorce in the past and I am glad my current wife had put up with me for almost four years now. She has been with me through thick and thin. OK, who am I kidding? Wait a minute. Take a look at my recent pictures, lets be a little more accurate. She has been with me through thin and thick.

I am thankful to be able to be with my kids. It has been three years in the making to be able to to have both of them with me for the holidays.

I am thankful for my job. Four years ago I lost my job of six years that I loved so much. The people who were responsible for me losing my job made finding a new one almost impossible.

I am thankful for my old friends who have stuck by my side. I lost several friends due to the bad things that happened to me. That only showed me who my real friends are.

I am thankful for my new friends. I have been surrounded by plenty of people both professionally and personally who have shown me so much support and who have accepted me even after they find out all I have been through.

I am thankful for my family. Even though they can drive me nuts sometimes I am glad that they are all still in my life.

But this year I am really thankful to have my freedom. Yes my freedom. Many of you who are patriotic are probably saying Amen right about now. But let me finish my statement. When I say I am glad to have my freedom I mean that I am glad to have my freedom back.

The last six years have been the toughest six years of my life. I have struggled with having my freedom trampled all over and eventually taken away three years ago. Why you ask? For speaking up about the injustices that go on in El Paso. My freedom was taken from me by corrupt elected officials.

Three Thanksgivings ago I had too make the toughest decision in my life. A decision that could have backfired and put me on the the path to destruction. On November 28, 2007 after missing yet another Thanksgiving with friends and family I decided to play the game known as the El Paso Justice System. The price to pay to play the vicious game was three years of conditional freedom. I was 29 years old and had to sign over my rights and most of my freedoms. I was a grown man yet had the same freedoms as a 16 year old boy.

Why would anybody do that?

I did it because I loved my family and I wanted to be with them. I also did it because I knew I had a better chance to prove my innocence and prove that I was being retaliated against by a corrupt elected official out in the free world instead of trying to do so while being shuffled around by the corrections department. In essence I gave up some of my freedoms so I could be free.

It is about 9:30 pm right now. In about two and a half hours I will be a FREE MAN. My three years of conditional freedom will officially be over. I have tried to live my life as normal as possible and done as much as I could to help others these last three years. I promised myself that I would not allow a corrupt elected official ruin my life or force me to live like a lower class citizen.

What I Am Thankful To God For:


I thank God for giving me the strength to endure all I have in the last six years. It hasn't been easy but it has made me who I am today. I thank God for giving me the will power to keep me from treating others like they treated me. I thank god for giving me the knowledge to share with others and hope that they don't go through what I have been through. And most importantly I thank God for giving me the voice to speak the truth.