Happy 99th Birthday Grandma Robles!

I only have one living grandparent left, and that is my paternal grandmother, Rachel Robles. Grandma Robles has been blessed with 99 years today. I thought today was the ideal day to share a little bit of her story and her wisdom. I wish I had done this years ago when her mind was sharper. These days, my heart aches because Grandma is no longer the lady I grew up knowing. As I spent time with her a couple of weeks ago, it broke my heart when she didn’t remember the names of her family members. I showed her many pictures of the family, and she remembers them randomly, but it’s not the same. And even though her short-term memory isn’t what it used to be, her long-term memory is still very vivid. She has fond memories of growing up, of marriage, and her life raising a family. Her face brightens up when she talks about Grandpa and the love and life they shared. Grandma and Grandpa Robles were always an admired couple. Their love was so strong and evident. Back in their days, so many people got married out of obligation, out of financial security, and some through arranged marriages. But their courtship began when they were both 15. It is a love story that has always been admirable. They were an amazing couple, and even through the financial struggles they faced in their marriage, they never disrespected each other. Their love is definitely unique.

Today I’d like to share a “vlog” with you all. Instead of writing out the words of Grandma, I’d like you to see her personally. I will be sharing videos of her words and the way that she describes pieces of her life. I wish I could have gotten more, but it was challenging to keep her on track, and I had to do a lot of editing to remove the repetition, the long pauses, and the conversations that went off-track. More than anything, she still has her strong faith in God, and I know she longs for the day that she can be in heaven with her Savior and the love of her life. My prayer is that God will have grace on Grandma and take her soon, so that she can finally have the desire of her heart. It is very hard to see someone you love no longer have the quality of life they once knew. Listen to her words, and I hope that something she shares might touch your heart like they did mine. Also, be sure to scroll to the end to see pictures of her life and a very special letter that she wrote after Grandpa passed away. It will bring you to tears…

Growing Up
Love
Message to the Family
A letter Grandma wrote after Grandpa passed away

Grandma’s letter after Grandpa passed away:

We promise

Before God

We promise we would love each other, longer than forever. My heart breaks with every memory I have of our life together.

We were so young, but our love was so true. I can still see your face – not when you were sick, not when you were old – but the face of a man that loves me forever.

I live with the memories of the beautiful years we shared our life and our love. There was never any doubt in my mind that you loved me. You never gave me diamonds or pearls, but I cherished every little flower you stopped on the road and picked for me.

Your last words you said to me were, “I love you very much.”

What love and what a man!

Benjamin Anthony

Today I take joy in celebrating my nephew’s 1st birthday! Benjamin Anthony was born on April 12, 2020. During a year that was so full of uncertainties, losses, and sadness, God shined a light in our lives and brought us a little miracle blessing in the life of Benjamin.

Benjamin may have been conceived in a non-traditional way; but God formed him perfectly and already knew the plan for his life here on earth. God chose him, and I know that he has a great plan and purpose in his life.

Today I speak words of life into Benjamin, and I pray against and rebuke any and all negativity surrounding his life. My aunt shared these words with me a couple of months ago, and I stand by these words:

Benjamin will redeem all losses.

Benjamin – Son of the Right Hand

Benjamin – Son of Strength

Benjamin – Son of the South

Robles – Oak (strong tree with deep roots)

Benjamin is loved by so many people! He has an extension of his family tree, people his mom calls Framily! He has several grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. This child will never feel unloved…..he will be a planet shaker and a world changer!

Happy 1st Birthday Benjamin!

Your Tia Monica (Tia Toonce) loves you so much!

Young at Heart

I am so fortunate that I have some flexibility with my job, and I work remotely on Tuesdays. Today, this gave me the opportunity to go and watch my dad play softball. He has played softball/baseball for close to 60 years, and it has been a passion of his for as long as I’ve been alive.

My dad turned 77 years old yesterday, which was March 15. As I look at his life, I am so proud that he is still remaining active and participating in a sport that he enjoys. I truly enjoyed watching these men play ball. This is a 70+ league, and my husband and I were talking to some of the men who were sitting in the audience. I enjoyed hearing some of these men reflect on their younger days when they could hit home runs and run fast. They talked about how much they enjoyed playing, even now in their golden years.

At one point, I got a whiff of the cigarette that someone was smoking. I usually do not like that smell and get very agitated; but today, it literally took me back to my childhood days when we would come out and watch my dad play baseball. It was a huge part of his life, and sometimes we would go as a family and watch the games. I remember playing in the sand and the playground, and I remember that smell of cigarette smoke around the area so vividly. I also saw my dad chewing bubble gum, and that was another memory of my childhood. Dad always had a bag of Dubble Bubble chewing gum in his baseball bag. He just looked so young chewing his bubble gum and sitting in the dugout. It made me so happy!

Not all my memories of watching Dad play baseball were good ones. I remember that baseball was my dad’s passion, even more than being home with us. In my much younger years, my dad’s life was literally work and play. He went to work and then went off to either baseball practice or a game. After his games, he would stick around and drink with his friends. So baseball games weren’t always a fond memory for me. But many years later and seeing how my dad no longer put that first in his life, I can truly enjoy watching him play. Back then, he stuck around with friends to drink. Now, he sticks around to talk to his friends about Jesus; maybe he’s even counseled or prayed for someone at some point.

Today I found joy in watching Dad and all these older men play like young men. Several, including my dad, can still hit that ball so hard! My dad and others are not supposed to run because of their leg injuries, so they have “runners” come in for them after they’ve hit. But even in that, my dad was a bit of an overachiever today. After one of the times he bat, he actually ran! And even though he wasn’t supposed to be running, I couldn’t help but get a little emotional and choked up. There’s my dad – he’s 77 years old, and he’s running to 1st base! He’s doing something that he enjoys! He’s staying active and healthy! He’s alive and breathing and living his best life! I find joy in the opportunity I had to watch this today! I don’t know how long I will have my dad here on earth, or how long he will have me. But today was a special memory that I will always cherish. I saw Dad having fun!

My Story of Joy in the Journey to Financial Freedom

Author: Aurora Monsivais-Cruz

When the pandemic hit in March of 2020, many people lost their jobs, and that included my husband.  This didn’t affect us immediately because we were good at saving money and had that to fall back on.  But we quickly depleted our savings.  I would see my husband worry at times, and I was the one that was trying to calm him.  I would tell him that it was going to be okay.  I just needed to get healthy and get through this cancer.  If we needed to sell the house, we would sell the house.  We could always buy another house later.  That didn’t even matter to me; the materialistic things didn’t matter to me.  My husband is not a materialistic person.  I think it was just him feeling like a man would feel, like he is a provider, and he has never been without a job.  But I gave him that support to remind him that it was going to be fine.  He didn’t have a job from March through September.  And then he finally got called back, but it was little by little.  The pay wasn’t the same, and the hours weren’t the same, but little by little, we began getting back on our feet.  Here we are a year later in March, and we are still working on getting back on our feet.  And this was part of the reason that I got involved with It Works.

With my cancer, I was scared, but I knew that I wanted to still be at my best and take in the very best nutrition.  I knew that the devil was a liar, and I was not going to let him defeat me and bring me down.  I had been watching Mariza Robinson’s videos on Facebook, and I loved all her positivity.  I was addicted to watching her videos and reading her posts because she was just so inspiring.  I became interested in the It Works products as I began my cancer healing journey.  I ordered almost everything they had available because I wanted to try it out and see what worked for me.  I am so happy to say that while taking in all this nutrition throughout my cancer journey, I never had nausea, I never threw up, I never felt as tired as I should have been, and I kept riding my bike and having energy.  I told myself I would not let cancer defeat me and I knew I would fight this; and part of that was taking in all the nutrition, staying active, staying positive, and remaining focused on God.  I would have some sad days, but I never fell into full blown depression.  I knew that God was going to use this experience for a greater purpose.  I have been able to be there for so many people and have wonderful conversations, helping others to encourage them and uplift their spirits. 

When I started using the products, I fell in love with them.  I felt like they helped me regain strength and energy.  I continued to ride my bike and stayed active.  I shared the products with friends and family, but I wasn’t a distributor yet.  I would refer everyone to Mariza because I admired her from afar and wanted to help her.  She was so inspirational to me, and I loved her!  Then I realized that with all the sharing I was doing, I should become a distributor.  My neighbor also knew someone with It Works, so we began talking about signing up.  My neighbor signed up with the person she knew, and I went ahead and jumped in and signed up with Mariza.  With Hector not working during that time, my thought was that even if I made $100 a month, that’s grocery money.  And I wanted to help our family income as much as I could.  During that time, I read this self-development book that recommended everyone should have a side hustle because we never know what will happen with our jobs, and we need to have something to fall back on. 

I would think back to the days when I was a single mom and how hard I had to work to make ends meet.  I had such a deep “mommy guilt” because my mom practically raised my children when they were young.  I worked at a law firm and put in long hours.  I feel like I lost so much time with my babies.  Time has gone by so fast, and now they are all young adults.  I wish that I had this opportunity back then when they were younger, so that I could have spent more time with them.  I want to be able to help give others that opportunity to have the flexibility of time with their families. 

I started my journey as a distributor with It Works back in August, so it’s been 6 months now.  I admit that there were some loved ones who weren’t very supportive at first.  I was teased and told that this was probably a scam.  I blocked out all the noise and just focused on my goals and what I wanted to get out of this business opportunity.  I later found out that my upline distributor, Mariza, had specifically prayed over the “leg” that I was placed in the flowchart of the business.  And suddenly we are now seeing that it’s blowing up and still growing!  In my first month of being a distributor, I enrolled 30 customers.  I didn’t think I was doing well because no one told me anything about my progress.  But little did I know, I was over the charts with my progress!  I still think back to some of my first videos where I was talking about this new adventure in my life.  I was still bald, but I had so much courage and faith to do this, and I didn’t hold back one bit.  I didn’t have a lot of guidance, but I created my own goals and ways to work this business.  I made myself a goal of signing up one customer a day, and I still try to do that even now.  With all the hard work I’ve done and with God’s blessing on my goals in this business, I have been able to get back-to-back promotions and have earned the Diamond status in 6 months!  It takes many people years to accomplish that – and I don’t say it to brag on myself, but I say it to give GOD all honor and glory!  When I got my promotion, I just got on my knees and bawled crying.  I pray over my team every day.  To other people, it might seem like a silly thing to get these promotions.  But to me, it’s all God. I know what a blessing it is, and I know what’s still in store for me.  I know that God wants to bless me in abundance for a reason, and I am going to do great things with this.

One of the biggest ways that cancer impacted my life positively is that it changed the dynamic of the relationship between my oldest daughter and me.  With my oldest daughter, we have similar personalities, so we have always butt heads with each other throughout the years.  My cancer journey brought us so much closer than ever.  It opened her eyes to the fragility of life, and she began to express her love and gratitude toward me much more.  It changed us as a family.  We are that much closer and better than before; and this makes me grateful for the process. 

My doubting loved ones who were initially negative about this adventure, are now some of my biggest supporters.  They cheer me on, and they are happy for me.  I wear these charms on my bracelet that are from It Works.  I have an emerald, a ruby, and I am waiting on my diamond.  But to me, they represent so much; they represent the grit, the sweat, and the sacrifice.  I am now chasing my next promotion, which is Double Diamond.  I can’t say enough what this opportunity has done for my family and how it’s given me so much more than I ever imagined. 

Another reason that I launched this business opportunity was that I really, really needed the fellowship. I wanted something to keep me motivated in looking forward to the future. In a sense, I was trying to be pro-active with staying busy and focused on something positive in my life so that there would be no room for sadness or depression.  Like said before, I was so very inspired by Mariza; and with my cancer journey, I knew I could touch many more lives bringing awareness to breast cancer. There is life after Cancer. God is so Great!

The two people I mentioned in my stories is Sophia James (neighbor and 2-time breast cancer survivor) and my enroller/leader Mariza Robinson.

I have met the most amazing women that are my leaders in this business, and I can’t imagine my life without these women. Had it not been for It Works, I would’ve never had the opportunity to have these people in my life and do the self-development that I now do daily. I am learning every day how to become a better leader for my team. I want to be the best version of myself for them, to lead with love and purpose.

I truly believe that I am the happiest I have ever been in my life so I will never be upset that I got cancer. If it wasn’t for the cancer journey, I don’t think I would’ve learned the lessons and I would’ve never reached out to Mariza wanting the opportunity of financial freedom and one day owning my own time and most importantly for me at the time was the fellowship and surrounding myself with positive influence.

After the things I’ve gone through in my life, I could have become depressed.  But I truly feel like I am living my best life!

If you would like to read more about Aurora’s journey in Finding Joy in her life, read the following links as she shares her battle with breast cancer and her journey to finding love again.

https://findjoy.blog/2021/03/10/my-story-of-finding-joy-in-my-journey-with-breast-cancer/

https://findjoy.blog/2021/03/10/our-story-of-joy-in-finding-love-again/

My Story of Finding Joy in My Journey with Breast Cancer

Author: Aurora Monsivais-Cruz

My diagnosis was as it would be for anyone.  It was shocking because I was very healthy, very active, an avid bike-rider; I took care of myself.  I feel so grateful to God for the way I found the lump.  I was lying on my sofa with my dogs, and the way that they were pushing hard on me, which made my breasts more elevated.  It was then that I saw a lump protruding from my breast.  I feel that if my dogs had not been lying on me and pushing on me in that position, I might not have seen this lump so soon.  I knew instantly that this was cancer.  I had gone for mammograms in the past, but I hadn’t gone to get one more recently during that time.  I didn’t think cancer could happen to me. I immediately called Hector and told him that I felt this lump and knew it was cancer.  Hector kept trying to calm me down, but I knew it deep down in my soul – I knew I had cancer.  The next day I called my doctor and was told that they didn’t have an available appointment for another month.  But I was persistent and explained that I had found this lump and I knew this was cancer.  They told me to come in right away, so I left work immediately.  I was there for several hours going through different tests, and they were going to call me with the results.  That was on a Friday, and they said not to expect the results until the following week, maybe Thursday or Friday.  They wound up calling me by Monday morning right at 8 a.m.  They gave me the devastating results over the phone – I still remember that moment when she gave me the words, “I’m so sorry, but you have cancer.”  In that moment, I fell to my knees crying.  I went to my co-worker, Amy’s office, and I broke down like I had never done before in my life…

~ To continue this story, please open the video links to be able to hear Aurora share the rest of her journey. ~

Aurora’s Story of Her Journey With Breast Cancer (Part 1)

Aurora’s Story of Her Journey With Breast Cancer (Part 2)

~ …continued from video vlogs ~

I truly believe that I am the happiest I have ever been in my life, so I will never be upset that I got cancer. If it wasn’t for the cancer journey, I don’t think I would’ve learned lessons, and I would’ve never reached out to Mariza to reach out for the opportunity of financial freedom and one day owning my own time.  And most importantly for me at the time was the fellowship and surrounding myself with positive influences.

I told myself I would not let cancer defeat me and I knew I would fight this; and part of that was taking in all the nutrition, staying active, staying positive, and remaining focused on God.  I would have some sad days, but I never fell into full blown depression.  I knew that God was going to use this experience for a greater purpose.  I have been able to be there for so many people and have wonderful conversations, helping others to encourage them and uplift their spirits.  After the things I’ve gone through in my life, I could have become depressed.  But I truly feel like I am living my best life!

If you would like to read more about Aurora’s journey in Finding Joy in her life, read the following links as she shares her journey in finding love again and her journey to financial freedom.

https://findjoy.blog/2021/03/10/our-story-of-joy-in-finding-love-again/

https://findjoy.blog/2021/03/10/my-story-of-joy-in-the-journey-to-financial-freedom/

Our Story of Joy in Finding Love Again

Author: Aurora Monsivais-Cruz

I married my high school sweetheart and was with him for 17 years.  Unfortunately, he hurt me deeply by being unfaithful in our marriage.  It was something that I tried to get past, but I just couldn’t do it.  I believe it can be done, and I commend those who are married and get through adultery.  But for me, I just found it impossible to heal from.  When I look back, I wonder if I could have done things differently.  But the way my life is now, I have no regrets.  Maybe if my life would have turned out differently, I would have regrets; but because I feel so blessed in my life and I did find love again, and God blessed me with such a wonderful man, I have no regrets.  I believe that everything happened according to God’s will, and God always has the better plan.  His plan is always better than our own.  So everything was supposed to happen the way it was. 

For a long time, I felt guilty and would wonder if I was such a godly woman, why couldn’t I forgive my husband at the time.  Why couldn’t I get over it?  I really struggled with that for a long time.  I stayed in the marriage an extra 5 years and I tried to get past the pain, but I just could not get over it.  Any little thing would trigger me, so every chance I got, I would just throw it in his face.  The resentment would come out because the devil is a liar, and I was weak in that way.  God must not have been the center of our lives – I thought He was, but obviously we were not strong with the Lord.  We were believers of the Lord and always had been.  But the devil is a liar and life happened.  So we eventually got divorced, and it was very difficult being a single parent.  I struggled a lot financially and balancing work and family.  I never received any child support, but the kids had their father in their lives.  I struggled to pay the mortgage and bills I was left with and eventually had to file for bankruptcy.  My life was a financial disaster.  Being someone with perfect credit and being a homeowner at the age of 24, we seemed to have it all.  We were the picture-perfect family at a very young age.  Living on one income was so difficult, and I didn’t make that much money.  There were times I didn’t eat so that my kids could eat.  My grown kids still carry those childhood memories, reminiscing on the days when they saw me scrounging up change to get them burgers from the dollar menu at McDonald’s.  They never went hungry and we never went without.  It was an up-and-down battle being fought alone. 

I was in another serious relationship for a few years after my divorce, but that did not transpire to anything long-term.  I stayed single for a year after that break-up, and now years later after my marriage ended, I was now 37 years old.  I spent a year on my own and just focused on myself and God.  I went through some minor depression, and friends would try to get me to go out and meet someone else.  But I needed that time to get to know myself and learn the things I wanted in life.  I needed that time to get used to being alone.  I finally reached a point where I was able to accept and embrace the idea of being alone, and I was fine with it. 

Eventually, I was convinced to meet someone through mutual friends.  I agreed to go on a very casual group date to meet this guy.  We both had no idea what the other looked like.  Our mutual friend just knew that they wanted us to meet each other.  We were initially supposed to meet at Olive Garden, but my date wound up having to cancel at the last minute.  I did not care to meet him, so I still wanted to go eat with my friends.  I didn’t even give it much thought.  But the following weekend, my friends set up another outing at El Jarro de Arturo.  We were waiting for him at the bar, and in his version of this story, he has always said that when he saw me, he thought to himself that he was hoping I was the woman he was going to meet that evening.  I put my hand out to shake hands, but he gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.  We both felt that “love at first sight” feeling.  Even though there was a group of about 10 people that night, I don’t even remember any conversation with anyone but him that night.  We spent the whole night so engaged in conversation with each other that we blocked everyone else out.  We showed each other pictures of each of our kids, and I was already imagining that I would be his daughter’s stepmother one day!  This was a really sweet and special night that I will never forget, and I always say that I fell in love with him that night.  I later found out that he was disappointed because I didn’t ask him for his number.  But my friend explained that I wasn’t the type to ask for a man’s number.  He wound up asking for my number, and we began talking.  From that point on, we were inseparable and spent almost every day together.  Soon after, he met my parents and we moved in together in just a few short months.  Everything seemed to be happening so fast, and my family was against the idea of us living together without being married.  But I knew that this was the man I was going to spend my life with.  We both knew it in our souls.  I knew he was it for me, and I was willing to walk away from my past home to be with him.  I sold that house, and we started our new life together in another home with a new beginning.   The love between us was so real, so genuine, and it brought us so much happiness.

Our Wedding Day

Hector has been a father for my children and has done more for them than most fathers would do.  Whatever they need, he is there for them.  He has helped provide for them not only financially, but emotionally.  I love his daughter as my own as well.  When we first met, it was a difficult transition for her at first because she was so young and had not seen her dad with anyone else.  But with time, she began to trust me more and got closer to me. 

I shared this story on my social media recently, and it describes how wonderful and supportive my husband has been:

December 31, 2019 – New Year’s Eve

In this picture, it was December 2019.  I already knew about my breast cancer diagnosis here, and I didn’t want to get out of bed on this day. I was so down, and my hubby knows I love to celebrate New Year’s Eve. He made me get out of bed, wiped my tears away, and made me get all dolled up. I will never forget this. Because he said, “I’m not gonna let you do this to yourself!” OMG is this man incredible or is he incredible?!?! This was the start of the courage that was growing inside of me, and it started with my husband. 🙏🙌  This incredible man right here! 🙌 Guys, I don’t talk enough about him! He not only was my caretaker during my cancer journey and catered hand and foot to me; 😭🙌 but he also cheers me on every day for my health and wellness business. He tells me every chance he gets, “you got this babe, my CEO!” 🤣 OMG I love him so much! 😭 He is my life partner, my best friend, my “pick me up” when I’m feeling down, my soul mate! Thank you, God, for my most precious blessing in life 🙏, my husband.

If you would like to read more about Aurora’s journey in Finding Joy in her life, read the following links as she shares her battle with breast cancer and her journey to finding financial freedom.

https://findjoy.blog/2021/03/10/my-story-of-finding-joy-in-my-journey-with-breast-cancer/

https://findjoy.blog/2021/03/10/my-story-of-joy-in-the-journey-to-financial-freedom/

Sticks and Stones

When we were kids, do you remember the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones; but words will never hurt me.” Well, if ever there was a lie bigger than Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, it was this one. Society has come a long way since 40 years ago when I was in elementary school. We have come to realize that words do hurt, sometimes even more than physical pain. We can eventually heal from most physical pain. But emotional scars sometimes never fully heal.

The earliest memory that I have of being hurt by words was in kindergarten. I remember it was during Winter, and I was excited to wear this little red fur coat that my parents bought for me. I liked that coat so much with its deep red color and white fur around the hood of the coat. I wore it so proudly to school on the first cold day we had. No one really noticed it at first because I took it off and placed behind my chair. But then came recess time on the playground, and that was when my world turned upside down for this little 6-year old.

I don’t even remember who the first kid was who said it, but I suddenly heard, “Look, it’s Santa Claus!” And suddenly I was bombarded by a group of my own classmates, circling around me and pointing at me, laughing. They started telling me what they wanted for Christmas!! Now this may seem like a very mild form of teasing and using words to hurt someone. And now as an adult, I can’t help but laugh to myself at the almost innocent cruelty of those kids and how sensitively I handled it. But for a kindergarten child, it was traumatizing! After that, I actually avoided wearing the color “red” for a very long time, even through high school. Only one person ever asked me why I never wore red.

As an adult, I have definitely learned to have a thicker skin, and I can take “teasing” a little better….I say a “little better” because I still think it’s mean for a person to tease someone else. My husband and I differ in opinions on this because he grew up with 3 brothers and a large extended family. They are a fun bunch who are always joking around and picking on each other in a playful way, even now as adults. I grew up always being taught to be careful what you say and not to tease people. So in raising our kids, we had a different view of things – but thankfully, it has balanced and actually created well-rounded kids. On one hand, he taught our kids to handle criticism, have a thick skin, and always have a come-back remark. On the other hand, I have always implemented being sensitive to other people, being kind, and being careful not to ever tease someone, especially and always when it comes to their physical appearance, something they cannot control.

In a society where people are so cruel, and yet people get offended by everything – what is the solution? I say JUST BE KIND! Don’t take everything so literally and seriously – but don’t be a jerk and be mean either. Find a balance, and teach that to your kids as well.

I heard a song many years ago, and I will share a link to it (don’t laugh – it’s an OLD song!) and quote some of the lyrics: “With words you can move mountains, in just a moment’s time. That takes years to tear down, and even longer to climb…..if you can’t find something good to say, say nothing at all.”

Looking Out the Window

Author: Robert Robles, Sr.

As I was staring out our back kitchen window, and as I saw the snow melting, God began to melt my heart.  God began to place some thoughts in my mind and in my heart.  Our house felt cold without the electricity and the central unit being off.  We have been without water for the past three days.  The plumber who was supposed to come yesterday to fix the broken water lines did not show up.  So the broken water lines are still broken; the house is still cold; and sometimes when the power is off, we sit in the dark and are hungry.

But as I stared out the window, I thought, “how many of those living under bridges, or standing at a street corner with a cardboard sign, saying ‘I’m hungry.’”  How many of those staring outside my window looking in, would rather be inside where I am, even with no water, even with no electricity, even as cold as it is inside my house.  My conditions to them is better than living under a bridge, surviving in freezing temperatures, alone and hungry.

We are going through an unprecedented winter.  Could it be for us to recognize how good we really have it?  How many basic things in life that God provides do we take for granted?  The fresh water we have to drink and take our daily showers.  The light switch that we flip up to have light in our house.  The food that God places on our table every day.  The breath in our lungs.

I believe God has allowed this unprecedented season for a reason.  It’s time to take note of the many blessings God has bestowed upon our lives.  Father, God, forgive us for being negligent in not recognizing how blessed we really are.

I’d rather be inside my cold, dark house looking out, than being on the outside looking in.

Written on February 17, 2021

Robert Robles Sr.

Joy in Healing

Author: Juan De La Cruz, Jr.

This is my story of what drugs can do to you and what it can take away from you….

I was 20 years old when I started using drugs.  I was at home one day, and I got into an argument with my dad.  I decided to go and live with some friends from school.  We had a party one night, and a few friends came over.  Out of those friends, there were about 4 girls; one of them offered me “dope” and asked if I had ever done this before.  I told them I hadn’t; but when I tried this drug, methamphetamine, I fell in “love.”

Every night I would get high.  I would wait a few days until I came off the high to come and see my family.  I knew I was addicted when all my check money from work was going to buy this drug.  I struggled so much and lived at houses with trash everywhere and rats in the house, all because I wanted to get high.  One of the lowest points I ever reached in my life was when I had a 2000 Pontiac firebird that I bought for $1500; and I sold it for $150, just to buy the drugs I had been craving.

I was using for 7 years and 8 months.  Over a few years, I had to decide if I wanted to change that lifestyle or continue it. And you know – I love my family, especially my sister and brother. I know they care for me a lot, just like I care for them a lot.  So I decided to get right with the Lord and get clean for myself and to win back my love from my family and especially trust. It took me a while to find the right way to get sober and what steps to take to achieve my goals.

At one point, I had been clean for 2 months.  But I got into some trouble and spent some time in jail.  Going to jail helped me understand why the Lord was with me and what gift He had given me.  I wanted to know why He always saved me, and I was able to find out during the 3 months I spent in jail.  God gave me a gift to help others find Jesus.  My appearance looked like a gangster because I was all “tatted up,” but I was sharing God’s word with others.  I was able to reach people at their level because we were the same.  Now I carry myself with more pride, more casual.  With the Word of God in your life, anything is possible.  Now I have been clean for 7 months strong and going on 8 this month in March.  I am still pushing forward, and I am ready to stay clean and serve God for many more months and years to come!  I pray to the Lord every day, and it really brightens my day.

I just want to show you all who I was before and who I am now; and I want to tell you that life is hard; but if you just keep trying and don’t give up, things do fall into place, and doors do open when you accept the Lord, Jesus Christ into your life. If you are struggling with addiction or going through depression, just message me.  I want to help you achieve a goal. I want to help you know God more.  I want to help you to move forward.

These are some pictures of me when I was struggling with addiction versus now. I’m sober and feeling free.  I’m done drowning with the turkeys and ready to fly with the eagles…. the key phrase for this month is “Don’t Give Up.”  … this picture of me with the red shirt and black shirt is when I was struggling with addiction versus the other picture of me living a sober life.

You know I couldn’t have done it without the support of my workout group, the REBL squad, family and friends. I want to thank my best friend, Marcus, for not giving up on me and being there for me.  I also especially want to thank my mother, Christina Gomez, for not giving up on me through my rough patch.  I love all of you a lot!

My heart is so full of joy now, thanks to the Man above!  The Lord, Jesus Christ, is one of a kind, and He can make things happen if you believe in Him and trust in Him.  If you are willing to put your mind into something and not give up in life, the Lord will start opening more doors, and the light will be bright everyday!