Its been a while since I have posted on my blog and I figured the best thing to get me back into writing was to talk about something that I hold near and dear to my heart: my faith. Now before everyone gets up in arms about me forcing religion down your throats let me first say that this post is not about that. This is about how my faith has led me to become the best version of myself and it has a lot to do with all the wonderful blessings I have had in my life.

I joined the Army in January of 2008 and shipped off to Basic Training in July of 2008. For six years I wore that uniform with pride and for six years I drifted along a path that I thought was right for me. That ride came to a sudden stop when I failed out of West Point and hit rock bottom. My future and the path I had been working towards suddenly ended and I had no clue what to do with my life. I took some time to drive from New York back to California to think and figure out what comes next. I stopped in Kansas and took a detour to Texas with Nicole for a bit then continued on my way to California. I stopped in Colorado for a bit, took my truck off-roading a bit, then finished up the trip home. When I got home, I felt this calling to do something. I needed to fill the void that was missing from my soul and my faith suddenly filled that hole.

As soon as I got home, I went straight to my old high school youth group and picked up being a youth leader like I was in high school. It almost felt like I had never left. All the leaders were new but Pete, the Youth Minister for my parish, was still around and was thrilled to welcome me back. When I was in youth group during high school, I would say my faith was lukewarm to say the least. I went to church, attended youth group, but that was about it. When I came back to youth group, I was inspired and ready to go. I met a guy named Ronnie LaGro who was just brought on as the assistant youth minister and he changed everything for me. He taught me its okay to be fired up and energetic about my faith. He showed its okay to have a beer and still share the Gospel with others. He lit the fire in my heart and fueled the passion in my soul to learn more about what it means to be Catholic.

Today, my faith plays a major role in my life. It is another one of my identities. I am a computer geek, a tech nerd, a gym rat, and a Catholic.