When I was three months old my father kidnapped me and raised me to believe that my mother was dead. He was a very selfish man. He took me completely out of spite and he thought that he had used me to get revenge on my mom. This lasted for 20 years.

Now after moving out on my own I started using drugs, partying and just living a meaningless life. I had no purpose. I just lived life one day at a time, just taking it as it came. I always thought “This is as good as it gets. Money? What money? I will never have money! Love? No one is truly capable of love.” That was my take on life.

Shortly before my 20th birthday two people (a man and a woman) came to my work looking for me. My immediate thought was “Oh crap, what did my father do now?” I took them to a private room to talk to them and see what was going on. After they asked a few questions about my life, the man came out and said, “We believe you are our little brother.”

All of a sudden I just got this overwhelming urge to ask “Where’s mom?!?!” He then told me that she was out in the car. She was afraid of what my reaction would be so she’d just waited in the car. I told them to take me to her and they did.

I eventually moved to my mom’s state to get to know her and that side of the family. I still had problems but at least now I felt like life had a purpose. I got married, and divorced, all the while living a selfish life. I kinda lived life halfway, always thinking “I got an excuse to live life like this, I had a screwed up childhood.”

July 26th, 2007
My mom passed away on this day. It hit me really hard. I suddenly felt cheated. I felt that I had been cheated out of 20 years that I could’ve had with her. About a week after her death a good friend of mine gave me “The Secret”. After watching it I changed my whole way of thinking. I no longer felt cheated, instead I felt grateful for the time that I got to have with her. To this very day I think about her and my whole family and realize that I am very blessed with what I have.

I now make it a point to watch The Secret almost every day. I still have problems, mainly with money, but I can say now that I am truly happy with my life. I see joy every day, I see it in my wife, I see it in my daughter’s smile…. I see it when I think of my mother.

I see a lot of people who have had problems in their life, and I’m sure there is some one out there who has had it worse than me. All I can say to that person is that if they don’t like their life then get off their butt and make life what they want it to be. Remember, God helps those who help themselves.

For those who made “The Secret”: Thank you, you’ve made me realize what life is truly about.