Welcome Home "Chuck"

 Good morning OOB,

I hope all is well with you. I was just thinking about beginnings. We have so many of them in our lifetimes and in a way these are very precious moments, though some may not seem so at the time, such as when we receive a diagnosis for hep C.

There’s so much confusion on those first days when we wonder what might happen to us. Those days before we seek out the support of others when we’re left alone with our own thoughts and our own fears, always wondering what might happen next and not sure how to find those answers. This is a beginning like no other, for though there’s fear. Though there’s confusion and yes even sadness, it is in this beginning that we decide to fight. It’s in this beginning that we set a course like no other. It is in this beginning that we decide that we will take our lives back and that we know we’ll never take losing as an answer!

So we strike out on a new path, seeking the answers that will propel us onward to the finish line. We study and learn and with a little luck, we find a support mechanism along the way for we realize that this is a mysterious path that we must walk, filled with unknowns and this makes the path seem twisted, making it difficult to see very far ahead.

But this is just the nature of beginnings. A part of the journey that is just as real as the ending. For me, I walked the path and even began stabbing the dragon before I found my home here at OOB. It was a joyous day to say the least because no one wants to walk the path of the dragon slayer alone if they don’t have to. No one wants to feel the loneliness that can come with the stigma associated with hep C, without the benefit of those who have been there to say “Hey. It’s alright. No one judges you here. It’s those that don’t understand that brings the stigma. So keep fighting. That’s what matters most right now.”

That’s why we work together here. That’s why we stand together seeking nothing other than the light that comes from friendship, taking a dark and twisted path and transforming it into a path filled with wonder and a desire to win. And when we find the comfort of others, it helps us to see not just the long twisted path but we can also see the end of the path. The day when we can thumb our noses at our personal dragon and start to look around at others on the same path.

By our own experiences, we can light the depths of anothers darkness with the light of understanding. The light of brotherhood. The light of belief in one another and when we light this torch with our hearts well, theres just nothing that can stand in the way.

Sure, there might be setbacks along the way and moments when we might doubt our ability to finish the task of saving our own lives. But these dark thoughts are almost instantly vanquished by the shimmering light that can only come from the heart of a fellow dragon slayer.

So fight on my friends! Only look back to see how far you’ve come. Understand that you never really have to fight alone for if you look behind you, we’re all standing there with you, cheering you on to the finish line and I have to tell you, the only thing better than seeing yourself standing there is seeing others there as well, for we are a brotherhood of dragon slayers!

We’ll always be dragon slayers because once we pick up our swords and shields we never put them down. We can never forget the fight and more importantly, we will never forget the light of others that helped us to get here. To this place of comfort that we call home.

So fight on my friends!! Make this a winning week filled with the knowledge that you’re one step closer to that new life you so long to see. Your new world free of the dragon is right around the next bend!! I cant wait to see you there!

Chuck