A Man Rising

By Jaime McCormick

Jaime McCormick is a man of action. His whole life, as most of our lives, has been a struggle. However, Jaime, learned how to turn his scars into stars and to turn his tragedy into triumph. With God's help and his own determination, he has found ways to use the pain of his past to help others overcome and be successful in life. The truths sh

• Language: English
• Publisher: New Life Clarity Publishing
• Release date: Jan 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088054871

Book preview

Chapter 1

IN THE BEGINNING

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In order to tell the story of how I went from an innocent child in my mother’s arms to an addict dying on some bathroom floor, I suppose I should go back to the beginning.

So, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth...

Yeah, you’re right, that’s probably too far back. Okay, then let’s jump forward a few thousand years to September 23, 1970, at Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie, Indiana – the exact place I entered this world.

As a young child, growing up in Indiana was great; we had cool, mild summers and snowfall every Christmas. I love winter snow. Watching it blow from drift to drift really helped me get into the spirit of the season. Winter is my favorite time of the year, the new snow makes things look more beautiful and seem much quieter.

When I was young, my father was supposed to be the breadwinner, and my mother was supposed to be the homemaker (this was the 1970s after all), but that wasn’t the case. My dad was a pothead and not very responsible, and my mom told me when they first met, he offered her a ride on his motorcycle. A true bad boy pulling up on his iron horse, his blonde hair blowing in the wind.

My mother never liked bad boys, she thought they were creepy, but she accepted the ride because a mutual friend of theirs had told her it would be okay, and that my dad was a good guy. They connected with each other as she did find him somewhat charming, they dated and over time got married, and started a family together.

Then before long, my brother and I were born. I was born on September 23, 1970. Their marriage was alright at first, dad held several jobs at factories yet always went back to selling pot on the street.

Throughout my early life, my father wasn’t around much (my mom left him when I was about 2). She said she came home one evening and the smell of marijuana smoke was so thick you could cut it with a knife and my brother and I were sleeping in our cribs. My father and his friends had been getting high. Mom threw his friends out and told him that is not what she wanted around her kids, and to her knowledge, he never smoked around us again.

Mom always knew that wasn’t the lifestyle she wanted. The last straw for her was when she found out my dad had cheated on her when she was pregnant with me. Their house used to be a hangout for everyone. My dad wasn’t home during this particular evening and a young couple came over to visit.

My mom was excited to tell them she was pregnant with my brother, which is when the boyfriend stood up and announced, I have something to tell you. He went on to tell her my father had cheated on her when she was pregnant with me. I can almost feel her heart breaking for it was just a couple years previous that they stood before his family and her family and a pastor and gave vows. "for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us