Jason had to write an essay this week about someone he is close to, and he chose me. These are some of the sweetest words I've ever read, so I thought I'd share. :) What a beautiful reminder of the blessing I have in my husband!
Essay written by: Jason Hallett
A year
ago, my life was a high and drunken mess. I was either passed out or blacked
out, trying to kill the pain of my past. I did not truly understand how to
regain my footing after being severely injured. My faith was tested, and as a
person I had grown weary of life. My wife revived my will. She helped rebuild
my interest in my faith and reaffirm my conviction to it. Rachel gave me the
support system I needed to quit my meds and slow my drinking...and that is just
the beginning. I can never thank God enough for giving me Rachel as my person I
get to spend my whole life with. She helped me in my youth when we first dated
all the way back in eighth grade, and she still helps me every day now that I
am a grown man. Just over a year ago when we moved in together, she started by
helping me reaffirm my faith, break my pain-pill addiction and alcohol abuse. Since
then, she has helped me get into college, eat healthier, and always keeps my
head above the water. God gave me a great woman, who supports me in all I do,
and has won my heart in the process.
My wife has been the biggest factor in me surviving
the major hardships of my life. When we dated in eighth grade, she had no idea
she saved me then, and now she has no idea she saved me more recently when we
re-entered one another’s lives all over again and re-kindled our love for one another.
While in eighth grade together, Rachel and I dated; we were crazy about each
other. She was not allowed to have a boyfriend and we were separated from one
another at the end of the school year. During the time we dated, outside of
school, my life was a struggle. At home I was not a kid, I was a parent to my
younger brother and I was severely abused, along with many other problems.
Rachel was the only part of that period in time where I was happy. Every day I
went to school and passed notes with her, my world was good again. When we were
separated, our hearts were broken, but I vowed to return five years later as a
military man. Sure enough, I returned, but was three years late because of the
injuries I sustained in Afghanistan in 2010. When I reached out to Rachel on Facebook
my life on the outside seemed ok to many. I had finally finished my two year
stay at the hospital, and my outer wounds were “healed.” I was taking courses
at a local college, working on getting a home and pursuing stock trading. However,
most of the people around me did not see or know that I was hurting inside;
even I was trying to avoid the pain.
I was constantly high on pain pills, partying, and drinking. I had everything
materially, but I was missing the feeling of someone being by my side, a
shoulder to lean on when I was weary. God knew I needed Rachel to come into my
life, to stabilize me, and renew my faith. Without Rachel’s support and
constant uplifting, I would never come as far as I have. Because of her care
and love, I am now completely involved in my faith. I am in school full time,
off medicines, I only have a couple drinks a month, and my dream of being a portfolio
manager is closer than ever.
When
Rachel and I re-connected on Facebook last year, I was in California and she
was in Colorado. In my heart I knew I needed to reach out to her and fulfil my
promise to return. It was by God’s design that she would come back into my life
and help me rebuild my very soul. When Rachel flew from Colorado to my little
apartment in San Diego, she did more than just visit me- she gave me hope and
truth. She saw through my mask of a life and saw that underneath what I had made
habits, I was hurting and falling apart. She saw my abundance of medicine and
threw them out, knowing I truly did not need them. She then helped me control
my drinking and other bad habits. While I was healing from these issues, she motivated
me to go to church with her. She not only healed my mind of the destruction of
my past. She pulled me out of a dark corner I had shut myself into. She even
helped me re-build and strengthen my relationship with God, which is now
another great help when I am troubled. The crazy thing is, she did not even
mean to do half of what she did. She never once told me to stop drinking, but
when I was with her I was comfortable and happy enough not to. She never begged
me to go to church, I just wanted to see what was making her glow every time
she talked about God. For a million reasons, I will be forever grateful for
this woman.
As I’ve
explained, my life was very unstable before Rachel. I had no real plan for my
future. When she moved in with me in San Diego, she motivated me and gave me
the support structure I needed to succeed. Without her, every aspiration I had
would have been an uphill battle to capture. Before Rachel moved out to
California, my foundation was fractured, and I never felt like I had a home. I
had no true support to lean on to reach my goals. No one really took the time
to understand my struggles and weaknesses, or helped me overcome them instead
of just running from them. Now, Rachel is always there to support me when I’m
down. When I have a rough period in the stock market, she reaffirms my capabilities
in my goal to manage money for others, and then reminds me that everyone has a
bad day sometimes. My wife is also there to celebrate the good days by my side.
She knows how to make me feel proud of myself, and how to make me laugh. Ever
since our relationship, and now our marriage began, my wife has helped me keep
pushing, even during the times I want to quit. I know that without her I would
be missing something very important. I would be a ship without a rudder.
Because of Rachel, I am a firm believer in a phrase someone once told me, “Behind
every great man, is an even greater woman.”
Without
my wife, I do not know where I would have ended up. I do know that my faith
would be weaker, I would still be trying to kill and drown my pain, and I would
not be pursuing my dreams with the drive I am now. Rachel truly has shaped my
life in a positive way, has helped me regain my footing, and has helped me
conquer the demons of my past. I am forever grateful for the woman she is, and
honored to be her other half.
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