My name is Marian and I am 46 years old. I have a son 23 and a granddaughter almost 2. I grew up knowing the Lord through my grandmother, who took me to church fairly regularly. I stopped attending church around 9 years old and started spending more time with my mother and less with my grandparents.
At 14 an event occurred in my life that changed my path to the one I have been on for 27 years. I sought comfort in all the wrong people, places and things. I turned to drugs and unhealthy relationships.
After spending many years in and out of prison, I decided I did not want this kind of life anymore. I realized I deserved a better life than what I had forced myself to live. I would soon be eligible for parole and needed to put together a release plan. I thought of all the places I could parole to and for the first time, none of them felt right to me. My desires for a future had changed. The thought of going back to what was familiar to me, the life I had chosen for so long, created a heavy heart.
I can thank the Lord for opening up my mind to some other options. That is when the spiritual battle began. I wanted to do things differently, but Satan was losing one of his faithful servants and worked overtime try to create every reason why I did not need to come to the 24/7 Program. Finally I surrendered to God calling me to this program. Today I am grateful to be here and for all the love and support I receive from everyone. I still struggle but I am clean and sober. I am learning to live life on God’s terms one day at a time. Thank you 24/7.