Have you ever had one of those moments were you just know that the person you just met is going to change your life forever? Where your heart skips a beat and everything goes a little tunnel-visioned? That is the sort of moment that happened when I met Gabriel. What I didn't know was just how much. He had come to Roanoke from Staunton out of need and hope. I was looking for something, and had no clue what that something was. We were both walking a path in life that was darker than we'd have liked. And that is what brought us both to On Our Own (a mental health and addiction drop in center) one day. There he was, sitting on the porch with a sketch pad, black nail polish, and an attitude. A perfect storm of my personal weaknesses. I sat next to him, feeling instantly comfortable, and began a conversation. But I was in a relationship, and he was in a complicated stage in life, and we soon lost touch. Until fate brought us together again during some of our darkest hours. We had both found ourselves in the same hospital, struggling with similar demons. I saw him, and I instantly felt better. He saw me, and smiled. I melted. His smile still does me in to this day. But we were there to get well, and the timing wasn't right on either side. We lost touch again. That is, until church. Gabriel had always been a passionate Christian. I had found myself led to the cross out of desperation. I felt so lost that first day at Elevation. So many people, and I was all alone, with no clue what I was even doing there. And then, across the sea of people, Gabriel was there. He saw me, came to me, and helped me through the masses of people. He eased everything inside me in that chaotic moment. From that moment on, we just got closer. He became my safe space when the world was crashing down around me. I called him in my most vulnerable of times. And over the course of a year, we got extremely close. Until the night I called him to say goodbye. He saved my life that night. And I haven't left his side since. After that fateful night, we still had many battles to face, but we had each other to fight by our sides. I became his Precious, his Beautiful, his Buttercup. He became my Angel, my Handsome, my Dread Pirate Roberts. We fought hard for sobriety, a home, a family, and we're winning, by the grace and glory of God. And now, after years of struggles, losses, and God-given victories, we face the newest chapter of our lives with excitement, joy, and faith. Faith in God, faith in each other, and faith in our beautiful future. We thank you for being there to help us celebrate the next chapter in our journey.