Tim Speer

There is sooooo much more to this story than I could fit in 17 slides.

After ten years as a Navy SEAL, I went to jail for over seven months. My kids were in foster care. I lost my career, home, and the identity, purpose, and community I had built my life around.

Then I had to get my kids back during a pandemic.

I have to own my actions. I lost control. For a long time, I hated myself for it. I kept thinking: If I hadn’t lost control, maybe my kids would have been in my custody much sooner. Maybe I wouldn’t have lost my career.

There were so many times I felt hopeless. Extreme rage, depression, anxiety, substances, burnout, suicidal thoughts, and unexpected outbursts. There were many nights I ruined my apartment.

I asked for help. That was one of the hardest parts.

I stayed locked in on getting my kids to safety. They are my everything. There was no amount of pain or suffering that could stop me from getting to them.

They are safe with me now. I have full custody. But I struggled after that too. I was so burnt out and still carrying everything that happened. I still am. I’ve come a long way, and I’m still learning.

I had to choose to look for the good. I write down things I’m grateful for every day. Every night at bedtime, I ask my kids what they’re grateful for. I still struggle, and I keep practicing gratitude.

I’m going to share a lot more now. There are years of experiences, details, and people who helped us that I left out or couldn’t fit here. I think sharing could help someone going through their own hardest stretch.

And, selfishly, I think it might help me too.

This is a huge part of how One Foot came to be. There were days I couldn’t see how any of this would work out. I still had to put one foot in front of the other.

What helped you through a hard transition? Share it in the comments.

#OneFoot #OneFootInFrontOfTheOther #MilitaryTransition #Fatherhood #AskForHelp