I have a heart for people, especially those who are faced with conditions, situations or battles in their lives that often bring a deep sense of hopelessness to the soul. As many people know, much of my life has been filled with the battles that have left me without hope. However, that is not the case today.

Today I have hope! No matter what comes your way, or how many times you may fall, you do not QUIT! You never give up! You get up and you keep moving. If there is breath in your body, there is purpose and reason for your life. Sometimes that is difficult, if not impossible at times to see. I do not know why we have to go through certain things in life, but I know that there is a purpose and a reason for everything.

I do know that in my life, all my successes, failures and experiences have brought me to where I am today. My strength and the reason that I am here today is proven through the experiences and conditions I have endured. God continues to bring me through, to carry me and breathe life into my body. The spikes are in a box, the bat is retired but the true passion and purpose for my life is just beginning. That passion is being able to make a difference in the lives of others. Today I have hope, a hope I want to instill in others.

—Darryl