Thank you for believing in me, for having faith in me and for encouraging me to do things to better myself. It’s been a while since I’ve had anyone care about me that much. I know you probably think nothing of it, but I need you to know that it means the world to me. It  makes me thankful that I have you in my life. I may or may not have done these things on my own, but your encouragement, your faith and your love pushed me further than I would have gone on my own in such a short amount of time, and they strengthened my resolve to see these things through.

You know very little of what you do to me, but this gives you just a small glimpse into that amazing phenomenon. It may sound cliche, but I truly am a better person because of you.

Nevertheless, the title of this post also serves as a summary of my life today. So many changes have occurred over the last year that it’s almost as if I’m starting over, and in some ways, that’s exactly what I’m doing.

In just the last 3 months alone, I’ve separated from my wife of 11+ years, moved into a new apartment, started working on strengthening my relationship with my children, quit an over-15-year smoking habit and started a relationship with an incredibly wonderful woman who has not only shown me what a relationship should be, but has also become my best friend. There are more changes on tap as well, such as the divorce that follows the separation, and I’ll be starting college in the not-so-distant future.

It’s refreshing to finally take control of my life and do what I feel not only needs to be done, but will make me happy and will result in the best life possible for me. I’ll of course never know for certain if what I’m doing is the right thing, but that’s part of what makes life interesting: the uncertainty of it all. It’s like writing your own book or movie. Will I like the ending? Only time will tell . . . but so far, I like what I see.