Dear Jerry, thank you for this honest story. I really am happy how the things turned out for you. I love to see the change in your life.

My dad was an alcoholic for more than 20 years. He was very aggressive when he was drunk. He lost everything, his family, his friends, his job, his money and at the end his health too.

After my parents divorced I never wanted to see this man again. He was a stranger who just made my life so painful.

When he ended up in prison because of his borrowings, my husband wanted to meet him. I was against it in the beginning but then I agreed as he has never met him before. I left the prison crying. I couldn't believe that strange guy in there was my father.

But it gave me a chance to start thinking. He is still my father. He gave me my life. I decided to forgive him and help him. I paid out his borrowings and made sure he went to AA. Eventually it helped, he found a new job, place to live, has some money now and is very grateful for the chance he got.

Don't get me wrong, I will never forget what he has done to me and my family. But forgiveness was so important for my life. It was like I could breath again. I am still hurt but I realize I need to focus on the future. I can't change anything what has happened when I was a child.

I always worked so hard just not to think about my life. I wanted to be the best best and make enough money to take care of me and my family. Now I realize that I am the most important in my life.

I took the chance and left the job that I didn't enjoy to pursue what I really love. I am going to travel and learn about raw cooking. I hope to open a small bistro in the near future and turn my passion into profession :)

Again, thank you for this article.