Life has a way of beating us when we're down, this year has been one of those times. It has been one with mixed emotions. I managed to start my own business and buy a house (with my Dad's help), and so in these respects it has been great, and I thank God for his blessings.

Sadly it has been one of the worst years as well. On top of the stress of starting a business and going to school full time, I have been dealing with a lot of family issues. My parents separated over the summer, and even though it was expected, it was still hard to see happen. They finally filed for divorce this past month.

On top of this I have been dealing with my mom's alcoholism for the past year. She suffers from clinical depression, and do to a highly stressful work environment, she was an RN, she really sunk into deep depression my senior year of high school. There was a suicide attempt, but I was able to call 911. Things went from bad to worse and over the past year she has sunk into alcohol abuse. Praise God though, as she has made a full turn around in the last couple of months. She really is turning back into the women I remember as my mother.

Even though I am out of the house now, the divorce still kind of hit me hard. I wasn't surprised or anything. I saw it coming years ago, so I had already kind of prepared for it. Still it hasn't been fun and it hit me harder than I expected.

Well, over this past month, my Dad was diagnosed with Hepatitis C, and it is pretty advanced. We don't know when he got it, as you can have Hep C for years and years and years and not even know it. It is not at all uncommon for people to have it for 15 years without knowing it. It really doesn't really matter how or when he got it, just moving forward with it. Unfortunately it is pretty bad, and he has cirrhosis of the liver. We are really not sure yet as to what is going to happen. He has to see a specialist now. Chances are though, that it is pretty bad. My Dad has never been a drinker. I have never even seen him buzzed. But he is a carpenter and has been exposed to a lot of lacquers and chemicals over the last 30 some years. Chances seem likely that he will need a liver transplant. I really just found all this out yesterday, and I have been trying to soak it all in. If he does need a transplant, then hopefully either my brother or I can donate part of ours. My Mother even said she would if she was a match.

It is hard to understand why God does the things he does, but I have dealt with enough in my short life that I know he has his reasons. So I will continue to have faith that he knows what is best, though it is still hard to see why right now. One blessing that has already come of this though is some reconciliation between my parents. I don't believe they will get back together or anything, but my Mom is going to try and be there for my Dad while he goes through all this. She was a nurse and so she will be the best person to help him with all the medical stuff, so I am glad for this and praise God that I can still see him working in all of this. I think it is important to look for the blessings in tragedy, as it helps to keep us moving on. It was a hard learned lesson, but one I will always try to remember.

I don't mean to put you gentlemen on the spot, but you guys have been a real blessing to me, and I would just like to thank you guys. It's been nice to come here and get my mind off things. Who would have thought that something as small as shaving would become so important in coping with things. seriously though, you guys have been a great help and I really appreciate it. I just wanted you all too know.

I don't know what sorts of walks of life you all come from, or what beliefs you have. It really doesn't matter. I would really appreciate your prayers right now for my family if you don't mind. It's been a rough one and there have been times when I just didn't want to wake up to it anymore. But one can't lose hope and one must press on through to the better times that are in store.

I thank you guys in advance and I will keep you posted.

Sincerely, Matt