May 3, 1997

Fourteen years ago today I asked the Lord to get me out of a very compromising situation.

You see, I had been out drinking with two individuals and I didn't think we were going to make it back to our intended destination alive that evening due to the condition our driver was in. So I made a deal with the Almighty Father that if he would allow us, and more selfishly me, to make it back to where we were going that evening, I would never drink alcohol again.

Now back in the day I was known as a bit of a drinker. Working in the athletic department of a university most definitely had its advantages. As in there was always a worker on staff, or an athlete that was willing to go out and drink nearly every night of the week. Throw in the fact that Kendra and I were married yet we lived 90 miles apart from each other due to her job meant I had no responsibilities to come home to her after work was over. Now I'm not saying I was fooling around on her or anything, but I was given the opportunity to imbibe on nearly a nightly basis. Let me put it to you this way, in the slightly less than ten years I was legal to drink from December 9, 1987 until May 3, 1997 I probably consumed more alcohol in what two or three normal people would consume in their entire lives!!

Well amazingly enough we made it back to the hotel where we were staying that evening in one piece and it was now time to come through with my promise. I can't tell you how many people over the course of the next couple of days, weeks, months and years laughed in my face when I told them why I wasn't drinking and that I'd never make it. Kind of tells you what company I was keeping back then.

I think three things really helped me out in those first few years of giving up alcohol though:

• Kendra found a job back in Greensboro so I did have someone and a reason to come home.

• We moved to Raleigh in 1999 and both started new more lucrative jobs.

• The birth of Ryan in 2002 was just too important, and costly in a good way, to start drinking again.

But I think what really has gotten me to this point is the learning curve I've gone through as an active member of our church and the promise I made to God on that night 14 years ago. It's hard to understand unless you really put your trust in something that you can't see. He's provided so much for not only me, but my entire family that you can't put it into words. I truly believe he was watching over me on that night exactly 14 years ago today and I'm certain that he continues to watch over me and my family despite what minor inconveniences occur in our daily lives. And for that very reason, I'm thankful and blessed indeed.