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this. I'm making me do this, but give me the idea to do this and pushing me and helping me get this done because I never thought that my story could help anybody. Right. But that's the point of this podcast, because I've got people that I haven't talked to in years and people I talk to every all the time saying that it's making an impact on them. ⁓ And that's all I could ask for, man. So. I just want to give the rest of my story, the rest of my testimony, you know, so people know me when they're watching me and they hear me talk, you know, it's it's conviction in this because I've been through this. And, know, like I said, yeah, I talked about it on the last part on my first episode about my DUI, ⁓ and that was kind of the turning point for me to find to find Christ and get back in with God and. that made a big step but man all the steps in between it just keep coming to this day. Good and bad. I ain't gonna hold back. You know. ⁓ Good. Bad. The ugly. It all comes with. having faith in God, ⁓ suffering well, ⁓ making sure that we understand that this isn't going to be all ⁓ peaches and rainbows. I don't know what the saying is to going through this. devil is busy. And he's trying to work against everybody to stop finding home and finding heaven on earth and finding eternal greatness with God, ⁓ Yeah, I just wanted to get on here, man, and try my my best to be transparent with my story and give everybody, know, the real deal Holyfield, man. So they understand, you know, like you can find you can find hope where there's no light because I found it. Literally no light in the jail cell except the not no sunlight. ⁓ So, I mean, I got a lot of friends that did the same thing. You know, a lot of people that. have opened up to me important to me been through this. And like I said on the podcast on the morning, you ⁓ I'm gonna be I'm I've probably gone through something that you're gonna go through, or you've probably gone through something that I'm going to go through. So we need each other. You feel me? ⁓ But so I wanted a funny story. ⁓ I wanted to talk about my five year anniversary trip to Mexico. ⁓ Because it was a very tough year. Not like tough, it was actually a great year. 2025 was that things worked as the way they were supposed to. And I was able to do things that I'm blessed beyond belief to be able to do. But as far as some of the things I went through was tough. So. We were going to Mexico to all inclusive trip for five year anniversary to Ply Del Carmen beautiful ⁓ secrets, Moche, whatever you call it. All inclusive all you could drink all you could eat, you feel me made for gluttony. It was about to go down. And going up to it a few months before. Me and Shar, my wife, for y'all that don't know, ⁓ we kind of talked about it and she was like, know, I'm gonna drink on the trip and she stopped drinking with me too, like I said, she didn't drink, but she didn't have a problem. So she wanted to go back to drinking. Absolutely, honey, you can have a drink. It's all inclusive, have fun. I don't know if I'm gonna have a drink, but you know, it's one of those things that she was like, well, If you did, mean, you know, I wouldn't be mad. It's Mexico, you know, and do you think it would be something that you could it would go back to how you were? I'm like, man, honestly, I don't know. But like, you know, I've thought about it. I thought about a lot. So I prayed hard. I prayed hard on it for months, two, three, four months. I was praying on God. Show me a sign if I could if I can drink. ⁓ Is it gonna am I gonna be okay, you know, can I bounce back from this? All those things running through my mind that I wasn't sure of. And so I would look and be like, man, I don't know. I see people drinking in my head. I don't really want that. But, you know, we don't see we don't see. So we get to Mexico. And I mean, they had, you know, beer in the beer and alcohol in the room, bottles, and we asked them to take it out because they told them where I was alcoholic. ⁓ And ⁓ we asked them for non-alcoholic beers. I drink those still to this day. I don't mind them. And I like to taste the beer. I just don't need the alcohol. So they brought them the Heineken Zeroes. And for example, I already know it's cool, but it's We went out to the club. mean, was, you know how I don't know if you guys have been to all inclusive, but all inclusive. They have everything in the resort. So they had a full on Cirque des Soleil show. They had a water show. They have bands. They had a nightclub full on nightclub DJ smoke string, everything. It was cracking. So it got hard. I mean, I saw like, you know, we'd be out to eat. Shar would have a margarita or a lemon drop. I think, you know, she was having a French 75 or something like that. I don't remember what it was. ⁓ But she was having these drinks and I'll be like, ⁓ man, I think about it. I think about it. And I just like, no, I'm cool. ⁓ But I brought, ⁓ know, I had I used to smoke a vape pen ⁓ and I quit then like almost a year since I quit. But I was like, man, you know what? I'm a bring one. Just in case, because that might help me get get through that, ⁓ which I did. ⁓ And it actually really did help me. Unfortunately, ⁓ I have quit that since though, but I did ⁓ get caught up in that for a little bit, but I brought a vape pen and it ended up helping. And you know, it's funny how God worked, man. That whole trip, everybody was out there. We've seen people getting wasted, up from the flow up. And we were, I was enjoying the good laugh. You know, people having a ball. It was actually fun. I was really enjoying myself. ⁓ And then ⁓ We go through the whole trip. We were there for like five, six days. We ended up pushing the day, pushing the stay an extra day. And, you know, upgraded our room. was, you know, it's five year anniversary. Let's, let's go in. So we ended up getting to, we ended up to the last day. I hadn't had one. I didn't have a drink. I never got a sign.

Nothing. Last day in Mexico. No more than we, mean, I'm to put it like this. was getting, I was getting a little stressed out because we was waiting on lunch. Uh, Shar wanted to sit down, have lunch and, and, uh, and I was getting a little stressed out. I ain't gonna hold you about the, cause the taxi was on the way. We was 15, 20 minutes away from, uh, the taxi being there. We just ordered our food. I said, man, let me get a Heineken zero for the road. Um, so it brings me out of Heineken the whole time I've been getting it's either been in a can or a bottle. can't remember if it was a bottle or can, but whatever it was, come in a can or a bottle. Um, I think it was the cans. ⁓ And then this time it came in the tall pint glass. I was okay. Whatever word we were up We like paid upgraded to get this VIP so we got the top roof pooled us So I got one so I'm like, all right cool, you know right for leave and I took a sip of it. was real Heineken and I'm talking about my body if y'all ⁓ Drinkers, you know, you've you've had took a shot before when you take that shot that warmness just go down your body for me like the tequila, the jade, like it just the warm that Hennessy warms your body up a little bit. That's exactly because I don't drink. That's exactly what that sip of beer did to me. And I go hold you, bro. I was instantly first, so I was like, because it does taste like beer, but I knew like my body getting hot. I was like, hold on to one baby sip. I was like, ah, man, bread, it's it's got alcohol in it, bro. So Shar took it. She was like, really? Am I? She was like, man, I think so. And then my body got hot. I was getting hotter. I go to the bathroom. Well. Yeah, I got sick and I got done and I looked at the mirror and I started laughing and God said, you've been asking me. What should I do? Can you drink? Can I can I do this? And it was like a wait. lifted off my shoulder. ain't want nothing to do with it at all. Nathan, you feel me? My name Bennett and I ain't in it. ⁓ So that made that was and that was just this last August, you know, and I just hit three years sober ⁓ and I and a lot of people that could have took them out on a drink it man. That would have just started it right back up. I got friends that are alcoholics that you know, do good 30, 60, 90 days and then they have one sip and it's, you know, and they say it in AA, you know, it only takes one. There's never just one drink, right, for an alcoholic. But I remember at a shop talk, this is all kind of like everything. God's funny and you don't don't make mistakes. Like as we got home, like we my wife was pretty pissed and pretty upset. ⁓ You know, they let that happen. So she ended up, you know, complaining. We got a little free upgrade in our room and stuff for the next trip. ⁓ And, you know, because you can really ruin somebody's life with an accident like that. That's somebody that's in a recovery trying to do better. But you know what they didn't have if they didn't have this, it could have really did it. And mine's just got because. He was allowing me to see what life could have been with alcohol after I've been praying on it for months. And he could have did it the first day, but he did it the last day, the last second, last couple minutes before I had to leave. Because who knows if it happened on the first day, what could have happened? ⁓ honey, I had that sip and I was fine. You know, let's have another drink now. Last day, right before I'm about to leave and was like, nah, man. And I knew and I just laughed because I was like, you got it. You got it, boss. You the man. I told you I was gonna drink this what we doing it. And I mean, I'm talking about the biggest weight lifted off my shoulder and we had, we had somebody at shop talk. And one of the first few times I said I was an alcoholic. He said, and they you know, and, and a they teach you, like you're an alcoholic forever. And not no hate to that because I agree like you if you You don't have this what I'm about to tell you. You will be an alcoholic forever. ⁓ God touched me and told me, you don't got to worry about this no more. But I made a promise to him, so I'm still holding that up. But I don't feel like I'm an alcoholic anymore. I feel like I had a problem that I was able to work through and God showed me that I don't need that anymore. I don't need to stress about it anymore. And don't get me wrong. There's still days that I'll sit there and I'm like, ⁓ man, you know, I'm stressed out like, man, I need a drink, but that's all it is. It's a thought. need a drink. But you know, people have that thought all the time and they'll go have drinks. That was me. You know, I don't like man. Ooh, this is There's one of them scenarios a little shot would have been nice, but I'm cool. I don't want it. I don't want them to do it. I don't want to smell it. I don't want to look at it. I got cleaning supplies at work that I'll be like, man, he's too strong for me. I can't smell it. Smell like alcohol. But, know, and that's just how God moves for his people, man. And there's been so many scenarios that you see and that you just that I've gone through. You know, I kind of brought it up on the pie on the shop talk podcast. about a year ago, year and a few months in November. ⁓ Jordan, my baby girl. I got three kids. Aaron, he's 17, about to be 18 next week. Well, this will be March 12th, so after this come out. DJ, four and a half. Jordan, two in a couple months. On her first birthday, my sister we were all at the house and sister came over and was like man was Jordan don't look too good. She started checking her and she was like ⁓ her neck like when she would breathe that would get sucked in her nostrils were flaring her ribs are showing. She's a PAC physician assistant certified physician assistant. Say you guys need to take it to the doctors right now. ⁓ So my parents there they was all right, we'll take DJ went to the doctors and they checked her in the ER and they were

like, we're do a couple tests center home. And said, let us know how it is in the morning. We find out she has RSV. So if it gets anywhere she's lethargic anything, bring her back. ⁓ The next day, we bring her back in the hospital. ⁓ And where you get stuck in there for five, six days. ⁓ know, and this was before shop talk. This was before I even had my Bible. This was before, ⁓ you know, I got back deep into my faith ⁓ as I am in now. So it was a very trying time for me and my wife because we didn't know what was happening and we was. hopeless, was helpless, not hopeless, helpless, excuse my words. It was helpless. We couldn't do nothing. mean, eight, one years old, a year and one day, IV, trying to get a breathing tube down her mouth like I don't wish that upon my worst enemy watching that kid go through something like that. You hear me? and. I prayed, I prayed, I prayed, I cried, I prayed. I mean, I'll never forget when they wanted to put her on a CPAP machine, they were trying to put her mouth in it, was, well, the mask is this big. You feel me? Nose and mouth is only this far apart. ⁓ And she grabbing for me, looking at me. With the scariest look I've ever seen in my life where I had to kick the doctor out like, nah, bro. She not taking that get out. He was trying to be rough like, nah, she just got nah, bro. I don't care. Stop. Stop. We're going to find out another way. Because that ain't the way she going to get saved. I promise you that. And we went from the ⁓ ICU to the NIC. We went from regular care to the ICU. It got more urgent, more intensive care unit. ⁓ And that was. When they told us we got to go to ICU because they're breathing, they had her on a flow vent to help her breathe because she couldn't breathe on her own because the RSV had built up in her lungs. I was worried about ammonia, all the other stuff. ⁓ I could just do nothing but pray and I didn't hear nothing. I didn't get to talk to I didn't get to talk to God. I just had to have undying faith. And after that, you know, a couple days go by a couple days go by didn't seem to be getting better. And then it was just like a switch. The next day she woke up. They were like, all right, we're taking off her breathing. We're going to slow it down. Our first they were like, we're going to slow it down. And then there was like an hour later, oh, we're taking her off. And then it was OK. We're taking you guys out of the ICU, putting you back in a regular room. OK. After that, all right, we're taking her. We're taking her IV out. OK, cool. You guys are going home. And it was just like a switch. After being five, six days of the worst trauma I've ever been through. to just fine crawling over the bed, sliding out the bed, learned how to start. I feel like she just like she'd gained that she lost a lot of weight. So her body was not that strong. She was trying to walk through the hospital to the point it was like, ⁓ hold on. You got a respiratory virus. You need to go back in your room.

You're in isolation. We're like, ⁓ my bad. So she was walking around the hospital. Like, none of this ever happened. ⁓ Hello girl so strong man. My wife is so strong. heart. Can't do nothing. Prayed for the doctors pray for their wisdom pray for their hands, their instruments, everything to work. Everything worked. Not everybody gets that lucky. I mean, I was I was, you know, get we're getting ready to get out there a little parent room with coffee and the fridge, put your food and stuff because we're staying there. And this dude was like, Yeah, man, I was telling him, like, Yeah, man, we getting out of here today. He's like, man, I'm waiting for that day. I don't know how good it's gonna be. And I'm like, you're all right. said, man, you know, my daughter got leukemia. So I honestly I don't remember what it was. But it was something really, really bad that she wasn't she he told me straight up. I don't know if she's coming out of here. I'm like, man, I was like, I'm just I'm blessed enough to be able to get out of here, bro, like with my daughter. Most people that would break. You know, I mean, it's hard. That didn't do anything but light a fire for God, for me. Long story. I mean, not a long story. I don't know what I'm trying to say because I got a little, I was trying to catch myself from getting emotional. ⁓ circle back about a year later, my sister-in-law ⁓ Desiree, who is, know, a Christian, big into faith. ⁓ She tells my wife like, man, I never wanted to tell you guys this. But you know, when I was fasting and I was ⁓ talking to God, he told me like, man, I need to get Jordan's gonna get sick, but she's gonna be okay. But I need to bring them closer to me. And this was a this was so this was birthday number two, we found this I found it out. ⁓ And she had been holding on to this since Jordan was six months since like DJ was on DJ's third birthday, think, or fourth birthday. I can't remember exactly, but. And I'm like, man, because. At next month, I was November, December, we went, I mean, we went on a cruise right after she got out the hospital because she was back. I'm telling you, she was back. ⁓ Literally like a week after she got at the hospital. ⁓ And so that. ⁓ December I was supposed to go to shop talk and I couldn't make it because our crews got back that Monday and I was too tired. I said I'm gonna go first of the year. January I'm going and I went and I kept coming back and I kept coming back and next thing you know I got a Bible next thing you know I'm talking to God next thing you know I am here. God moves so mean for his people, man, and he will do what it takes. And I'm not going to lie to you, it may not be fun. It may hurt. may not look like you think like you. You may not be all right. Roses and sunshine. But it is such a peaceful peace knowing that there is somebody no matter what, that is always going to be there and always going to be. You know, looking out for your best interest as a human, as a person, as a man, as a

loved one, as a husband, as a father, as a mother, as a sister, as a brother, as a daughter, you know, ⁓ because we are the things that matter most to him. You know, and yeah, things suck, man. Life, the world sucks, but that's not what we're here for. We're here to get back. You feel me? We get to enjoy this life and live for him and live for the people that are already there while we're here. But we gotta do right for him by him to get to where they are. I lost a lot of friends, man. A lot of didn't make a lot of sense. You know, and so. Me going through all this stuff with my daughter. ⁓ With my drinking. ⁓ With. work. I mean, this job alone I have how? How did I get this job? I had a DUI. You to have a driver's license. You got I got a driver's license. I got a driver's license. All right. But like at the time it had the mark on it. I had to get SR 22. I worked for, know, ⁓ state. I worked for, you know, government agency. Like how? They told me no at first and I appealed it. They accepted my appeal. I know how. You know how. It's crazy just to think about all the stuff that you know, and a lot of people, I got a lot of friends that, you know, ain't in the faith and they are, you know, man, bro, you know, I ain't really big on church, know, they hypocrites, hypocrites, all this. And I talked about how the what I felt like when I was growing up going to a church. didn't I didn't have that. I didn't was it for me. You know, mama, I love you. But like my parents had to send me email about what they because that's how much it wasn't like. in my face when I was growing up. She had to write the story. Tell me about her, you know, path because I didn't know. ⁓ And that's bad. That's bad on my part because I didn't ask. But it wasn't something that, you know, we dealt with. So. ⁓ When I had all a lot of death, a lot of friends pass away young ages, good and bad, I mean, ain't no good reason to die. But I didn't mean to say it like that, but I'm saying like. when there's nobody to blame or there's somebody been murdered or something like, it makes you angry. I lost a really, really, I lost one of my best friends to a heart attack 2019. How old was we? was six years ago, so we was 30, 31? Heart attack. A year or two later, my cousin, my little cousin Billy, You got killed by his dad, bro. I pops. Where they do that at? I was angry. It was ⁓ 06D Young ready to come out. God didn't know him. He never and I wasn't even in my faith. I wasn't even gonna walk when that happened. I don't know how I that could have got turned real ugly, real bad. But God hold even when you're not there, he's still looking after you. You know, like you may think of it like I used to I used to blame God for a lot of things. ⁓ God, you don't got my back or like when I but I only prayed when I was in trouble, right? You know, that's when we all pray, ⁓ God, help me get out of this situation. I'm blaze. I never do it again. You know, I say everybody's prayer when it's bad. ⁓ it was

mine. But I had to come to the realization that I would watch God answer my prayers. I go and leave all my stuff at the altar, bro. Go leave it all there. I bring it full bag. Drop it off. God take this off my shoulders. Have this. Promise me you'll take it. Take this off my shoulders. I'm giving it to you. Thank you, Lord. Before I leave, let me grab that back. You feel me? And let me let me go ahead and I'm a hold it on. I'm a hold on to it, though, just to make sure. And then. When it rained, it poured. Things will go downhill and I was blamed. Oh, God, what happened? But he just answered my prayers. But instead of me. having faith and believing that, it may not be the right time, this, and having faith in the decision he's already made for me, I made a decision to go a different route because we have free will. God gave us free will. ⁓ You know, and so it's, I had to come to the realization in my walk that because I made the decisions after I asked for the help and I got the help. Those decisions led me just to a bad decision, not to God hating me, God, you know, despiding me. God, he's not the one doing that. I did it to myself because I could tell you when I promised him that I wasn't going to drink anymore. Get me out of this. Take care of what I just bought my house. I, you know, ended up having finding out Charles pregnant a couple of months later. Like none of that happens. I'm going to pause on that because I want to come back to that. But the reason why I say none of that happens is because I found God, right? I'm going circle back. Just stay with me. Stay with me. Because all the stuff that has continued to happen since I said yes, and I'm going to listen to you, has been absolutely insane. The amount of love and power and what he can do for us, it doesn't make sense. It's not supposed to. I got blind faith, I believe. And don't get me wrong, not everything is, still fight, I mean, you I still got problems. I'm still working on my anger issues. I do have anger issues and some, know, I'm gonna talk to, I'm trying to get with a counselor, talking to my boys, talking to, seeing who they get help ⁓ from, because I need help. I wanna get better. And I wanna be the best man and father, husband I could be. not only for God, but for myself, for my wife, for my kids, you know? And I'm gonna get some help with that. ⁓ But when I say ⁓ I wanna get back to that, it's because all the stuff, man, that you think that should go wrong and could go wrong, they didn't. So we're in the process of selling our house. You know, I bought my first home about four or five years ago. We're process selling it. And. DJ is about to start school. Money is kind of funny. A lot of things are going on. And man. He just continues and continues to keep making sure that what we need by the faith that we have and it's so blinded is provided. And it's not always provided by him, but it's going to come through. ⁓ know, we were like last week, a couple of weeks back, we had

a Wednesday called Super Wednesday for us. ⁓ We needed to find out a couple of things. One, need a DJ. We applied for the school. He was on the wait list. Two, we were waiting to find out if we got this rental ⁓ for this house. ⁓ Three, I was going to find out if I got off night shift on the day shift. Four, we were finding out the price of my wife's nursing school. ⁓ It was all happening. And it was like 7, 8 o'clock at night, and I was getting ready to go into work. And ⁓ we got in the lottery for the school. And ⁓ we didn't get in the lottery. We got waitlisted. So I wrote him, like, hey, we put, we were supposed to be in zone three or zone two for the lottery. We ended up being in zone three and they're like, ⁓ you know what? Actually, don't worry about it. We messed. They called me right after it was like, don't worry about it. We messed up. We got DJ a spot. We got Derek a spot and he'll be going to Sierra next year. I'm like, whoa, so I'm in the car about to leave work. I run back in the house and I'm like, man, he got in. They said he's starting at this, this kindergarten this year and it's a K through eight school. So now he's going be at the school all the way up until high school. So that's a big deal for us. ⁓ And you know, we have friends that work there. So that was a big deal. ⁓ And we know it's a good school. Then. Right after that, I was driving back and I was all right, I got to go go to work. They call about the house. It's all like eight, seven, 38 o'clock. They call about the house. Hey, we want to give you guys the house. Let's meet. We want to meet your mother-in-law. Let's go meet and we will. You know, we're pretty sure we want to give it to you. Who got the house? Get to work. Find out. I'm getting day shift like my wife gets the email about her thing. And it's like we're thinking, honey, some doubt it make way less. it's like, God, man, he will work for you. He will do things. He will move mountains for you, man. He moves mountains for his people, bro. So, you know, and it's that goes back to all that stuff that I've been through. Like I said, you got to learn how to suffer well. You know, all that stuff that I've been through, that I went through all got me here. It wasn't all good. I mean, I like let me be the first one to tell you still ain't all good. But I have this piece that has allowed me to be in a space that I won't. I'm trying, I'm trying because I'm still I'm still working progress. I'm trying to not let anything break it. ⁓ And there's still things that, you know, scare me that's that you still got to, you know, let go. And it's hard, man. You live so long for a life like a certain lifestyle. And then now it's completely different. It's hard. Old habits die hard, you know? ⁓ And I'm trying to get better as being a man, being a husband, being a father, better listener, stop being so angry, argumentative, ⁓ dramatic. You know, I got a flair for it. Three sisters. Sorry, group of girls. That can be a little dramatic. ⁓ So, you know, I'm just trying to be better all around. ⁓ You know, I've been trying to Just make sure I could. I don't even know how to say it. Just be a good role model to my kids, man. Help somebody in need that needs it. Help myself. real. Talking to y'all is therapy for me too. You know, it may seem like, I'm just talking, but you know, when people hear these stories and they call me and tell me like, man, I didn't know about that. Like, you know, yeah, man, it's been a lot. You know, there's still stuff on here that ⁓ I can't say everything because I don't want, know, I have I got kids that, you know, don't know about some of the stuff I went through. And I want to make sure I share things with them so they not at least my oldest for sure. ⁓ If he, you know, and that may be years down the road because some of the stuff I did wasn't OK. And God knows. I mean, you know, I'm trying to be as transparent as I can on here. ⁓ you know, the certain things that, you know, God knows that I had to work through to get get out of, you know. I mean. I say this, I. I've done it all. I've done it all. Not all of it, but I've done most of it. I sold drugs, I did drugs, I partied, I've. fought, I've shot, you know, I'm not proud of all the things I've done in my past, but I know I couldn't have gone through, couldn't be where I am right now without going through that. And for some people that have gone through a tough season right now or gone through a tough season, I didn't think they got a break. You know, I got a lot of friends that went to jail a long time and came out the other side, man, and just know If you put the faith into him, will recruit. will. You will get it back. I'm trying to think what Pastor Brian said to me last week. You know, he said, if it's God's will, he's got to foot the bill. And it is so real because all this doesn't happen. The the. the podcast equipment, the microphones, the cameras, the laptops, the people coming on the show. This does not happen without God, but he is footing the bill and he's got my back because I got his and I'm believing in that. You know, my marriage, ⁓ we struggle, we we were not perfect. Man, I love that woman more than anything. and I couldn't do anything without her. And don't let nobody, most men get married and have a godly marriage. They know that their woman is the backbone and she holding it down. She's starting nursing school. She's been in school for like last three years, just getting her undergrad. Like, know, we're 37 years old. She get about to graduate Solano with three AA's. Junior college with three AAs, man, that's a big deal. ⁓ And then she's going to nursing school starting in May. We're moving. We got a son graduating high school. She graduated high school. We got a kindergarten starting there. We got a, you know, two year old. We're moving. I mean, it just doesn't stop and everything keeps on moving. Found my home church, you know, where I'm working on my faith, me as a

person. to be better for her and for better for my kids. I know I'm not perfect and you know I know I caused you all some headaches but I love y'all and I couldn't do this without y'all. And you know I there is so I can sit up here and talk about all the stuff I went through for days for days. I mean there was even with my son. Sorry, Aaron, spill your beans a little bit. ⁓ You know, he got he had an amazing division one offer to a school ⁓ in Washington, Eastern Washington, to be exact. We went up there committed. It was great. They treated us like royalty. You know, it's awesome. Excited to see him go through all that. You know, the visual and scholarship from his high school that only won a couple of games. It was pretty legit. ⁓ We're excited. And unfortunately, the scholarship ended up falling through and we didn't get it. And that was back in October of last year. ⁓ Come find out yesterday or today, the coach that recruited him, the defensive coordinator and the defensive line coach both got fired. Aaron would have been in Washington in the next two months, in June, three months without a coach that knew him. God protects you, And that like, mean, it just, it just shows like how mean he I'm telling you, he be moving mean. God is cold, bro. He cold. You know, and for people that, you know, that's what I my my lingo for saying, man, God is good. God is so good. And all the time, God. hmm. ⁓ Ooh, sweat, sweat. ⁓ But. I just, you know, I can go on all day about all the stuff. You know, speaking of that Washington trip, you know, that that was a crazy month for us ⁓ financially wise, man, like. I remember we were going through a little little point, like things a little shaky with money and stuff. I was working, but not much overtime at the moment. It was cool, but we was getting things figured out. And I get we're in Washington at this nice restaurant I get a call from PG &E and they told me ⁓ your power getting shut off on June We were there like that was like June 20th. There's like jet ⁓ July 9th or something your power couldn't cut off and I get paid on July 10th So I'm like, man, like alright, well, we're gonna figure this out. Like I'm like how much do they was like man you some have Some have been I messed up and basically we ended up having like $4,000 PG &E past due balance ⁓ I didn't have four thousand ⁓ But also, the first of the month was around the corner, so I had to pay the mortgage. And I'm like, bro, mortgage 4,800. I'm like, I don't I got that or this. Some go have to give like, I don't know. ⁓ In the way, literally. Can't remember if it was when we got back or when we were still there in Washington, but I got a call from my mortgage company and they're like, hey, we've been trying to reach you for months. We got a check we need to send you that you paid too much on your property taxes last year. I'm like, okay, cool, cool. Yeah, send it. I like, how much is it? $5,200. Whoa, for real? What? $5,200. Oh, OK. PG &E paid. Mortgage paid because now I got my paycheck to pay the mortgage. And it's just like, and then it was like little things kept popping out like, ⁓ I need something else to come up. And I'd be like, man, got to find me a side job, find me some make some money. You know, I do HVAC by trade. And so, you know, somebody came through, ⁓ we need a new system. Bam. It just the way he moves and most people would sit there and call it coincidence is it's not. God is moving mountains. to get me where I need to go right now. And it's a struggle still, but I'm gonna keep fighting to make sure I could, if there's a mountain in front of me, I'm ready to climb it. You don't need to move it, I'm ready to climb. And that's what a lot of people gotta get to, be ready to climb even though he'll move it. Faith without sight. No, my cousin Jerome and I got to get him on Jerome. Got to get you an episode. ⁓ He is a guide runner for the blind for the US Olympic team. He was a ⁓ he trained to be an Olympic athlete his whole life. ⁓ Race against top dogs back in the day. Maurice Green. ⁓ That's the only person I can name right now. Sorry, guys. But there was some dogs back then, man. You know, Maurice Green, the lion, bro, one of the fastest man in the world before Usain Bolt and the one he ran to one hundred and two hundred meter run. And remember going to Sacramento, watching him run. And he he he he didn't make the team. That was back in 2000, I believe it was. had the sack. That's the relays, the USA relays in Sacramento at Sac State. And so it was tough for him to lose that all that hard work. And then somebody presented him opportunity to be a guide runner for the blind. I'm talking about these guys. Completely blind or running the 100 and 200 meter dash. I had no idea this existed. They run with a tether that's about this six inches or so, maybe longer. I could be wrong. But it's on their fingers connected to each other. So when they run, if you look at that, you watch a camera, you can go watch any of his in Google and Jerome Avery guide runner. You will see him running side by side next to a person. And if I can get good at this editing, I might throw a little clip in right here with him running side by side. And he is the blind man. The blind guy has a mask on so he can't see nothing. He is listening to sound and believing that his guide runner is taking him where he needs to go. Literally faith. without sight. He cannot see him running down the tree. He don't know where he's going. And you can listen to him. You'll hear all the guy running scream straight, straight, up, up, up, up, up, drive, drive, drive, drive. And I remember watching it like, man, this is insane. He has won a gold medal in Beijing. ⁓ I believe it was. And I could be wrong. I'm sorry. It's been a lot. He's been in. He's been in every Olympic since Sydney. OK. Except this last year, I think this last year was the first time he didn't make it to the they didn't make it to the Olympics. ⁓ But mind

you. Olympics are every four years. I love my cousin to death. The most in shape 50 year he ain't fit. He almost 50, the most in shape, almost 50 year old you will ever see six pack eight pack little V's. like, bro, yoked 50 something years old man still living in his purpose. guiding these people down this track. The 200, the 100 might be a little easier. He's straight. The 200 has a curve, How? How much faith you gotta have in that? That's the faith we need to have in God. Knowing that he's gonna take you where you need to go. Oh man. So and like I said, you guys are going to learn more about me. I still talk about my I try. I'm trying. You know, I'm getting better at this. I'm trying to get better at this interview and thing. You know, my wife gave me some critiques because I'd be talking so much and she was, hey, let them ask a question and answer it. Let them answer it. Let them keep talking. I got to be. I got to keep my mouth shut. You know, let these people let everybody that's coming on my show get their story out. I could do this. I could talk to y'all about my story. So I'm getting better. I'm trying to get better. I'm trying to, you know, this is a new new ride for me. But man, I can't. I'm so excited to see what what's to come. We got a lot of a lot of good things coming up. A couple more interviews left this season. A couple more episodes. If God willing, I can get to eight or nine. But I need to I need to recoup, stack up some more money, need to get some better equipment. I need a camera. This camera keeps overheating on me. I'm amazed I'm getting this long out of it. I had to buy a little fan for it, but it's getting together, man. We getting together. ⁓ But. I just can't. I'm excited to see what what's to come, and I hope that you guys stick around and follow the journey. ⁓ I hope you guys and and man, I just got this hat, but I just got to say endless hope, bro. That makes a fire caps, dog. I let me. buyer. ⁓ But I need to get out of here. I just wanted to, ⁓ you know, share some more of my story, man, and hope that you guys know, you know, all my boys, all my homegirls, everybody that I grew up with, if you're having a tough time, man, you struggling, man. ⁓ There's a lot of people to help find a church find a men's group or women's group, find somebody to talk to. Hit me. Hit me on hit me in the DMS. You know, I'm not a pastor. I'm not a, you know, I'm not a deacon. I don't know everything. I'm new to this, but I am true to this. And my advice, the only advice I could give you, is open that book and read it. It's a step. It's literally the only, that's the only book in the world that is a guiding, a guideline to life. Because I'll be reading it. And I'm like, man, what? How does they this was 10,000? How did they know this was going to how did they know this is how it was going to be in 2026? It's the same thing. I'm just saying. I'm just saying. So if they knew it back then, maybe we should listen to them. So, you know. I love doing this, man. I'm so excited. I'm so excited to see where future holds again. You know, my name is D Young. I appreciate you guys for taking your time out. Shout out to everybody that's watched, listened, like, subscribed, shared. We can't do this without. I can't do this without you and we can't do this without him. Y'all want to get on the podcast. Y'all want to get on a show, man. ⁓ Like I said, man, shout out to everybody that donated to the GoFundMe again. I couldn't do this without y'all, man. So getting some of this stuff is able to help me ⁓ progress into being able to do live interviews on a computer and stuff like that. So I'm really excited to see what the future holds. And I'm just going to keep on trying my best to be a steward of what God's put me here to do. You know, and this is something that's I'm really excited. for the future and I just can't wait to keep going. But that is all the time I have for today. It is time to get to it. ⁓ Man. Y'all know what it is, man. It's episode five, man. It's your boy D Young. Welcome to the other side. Y'all have a blessed day. I'm out.