Latest revision as of 23:27, 1 January 2026

Francisco Meyer[edit]

I spent eighteen months in prison when I was thirty-two years old. That's not the part I'm ashamed of—that was just the consequence. The part I'm ashamed of is what I did to get there. The people I hurt. The trust I broke.

I'm not going to tell you all the details. Some of them still aren't mine to share. But I will tell you this: I was the villain in my own story. Not a victim. Not misunderstood. I made choices I knew were wrong, and I made them anyway.

Prison gave me time. Too much time. I read. I thought. I wrote letters I never sent. Somewhere in those eighteen months, I started asking: Is there a path back? Can someone who's done real harm become someone different?

I've been out for twenty years now. I work with at-risk youth—kids who remind me of myself before everything went wrong. I've rebuilt some relationships. Others are gone forever. I've accepted that I'll never fully undo what I did.

But I've also learned that redemption isn't about erasing the past. It's about what you do with the present. Every day is a chance to be someone different than you were yesterday.

This wiki is for people who carry something heavy. Who've hurt people. Who wonder if they deserve another chance. The answer, I think, is yes—but you have to earn it. One day at a time.

— Francisco Meyer, still earning the second chance

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 = Francisco Meyer =
-Hey there. I'm Francisco Meyer. If you're here, chances are you're looking for a way forward—or maybe just some proof that it's possible to change.
+I spent eighteen months in prison when I was thirty-two years old. That's not the part I'm ashamed of—that was just the consequence. The part I'm ashamed of is what I did to get there. The people I hurt. The trust I broke.
-== A Bit About Me ==
+I'm not going to tell you all the details. Some of them still aren't mine to share. But I will tell you this: I was the villain in my own story. Not a victim. Not misunderstood. I made choices I knew were wrong, and I made them anyway.
-I'm not proud of everything in my past. Growing up in East LA, I was part of the gang life. It was all I knew, all I saw around me. I did things I can't take back. Hurt people who didn't deserve it. Made choices that still keep me up some nights.
+Prison gave me time. Too much time. I read. I thought. I wrote letters I never sent. Somewhere in those eighteen months, I started asking: Is there a path back? Can someone who's done real harm become someone different?
-But here's what I learned: you're never too far gone to turn things around.
+I've been out for twenty years now. I work with at-risk youth—kids who remind me of myself before everything went wrong. I've rebuilt some relationships. Others are gone forever. I've accepted that I'll never fully undo what I did.
-Fifteen years clean now. Married to my high school sweetheart—Maria stuck with me through the worst of it, and I still don't know why. Three kids who think their dad's alright. A job working with youth programs, trying to reach kids who remind me of myself at that age.
+But I've also learned that redemption isn't about erasing the past. It's about what you do with the present. Every day is a chance to be someone different than you were yesterday.
-== What Brought Me Here ==
+This wiki is for people who carry something heavy. Who've hurt people. Who wonder if they deserve another chance. The answer, I think, is yes—but you have to earn it. One day at a time.
-After I got out, I had to figure out how to live with what I'd done. That's the part nobody talks about. You can change your life, but you can't change your past. It's still there, every morning when you wake up.
+''— [[User:Francisco_Meyer|Francisco Meyer]], still earning the second chance''
-Forgiving myself was the hardest thing I've ever done. Harder than getting clean. Harder than facing the people I'd hurt. Because every time I started to feel okay, something would remind me of who I used to be, and the shame would hit all over again.
-I write about this because I know I'm not the only one carrying that weight.
-== What You Can Expect ==
-You'll find raw honesty here—no pretense, no polish, just truth. I'm not going to sugarcoat anything. But what you will get is street-smart wisdom and hard-won growth.
-* Expect me to talk about the hard stuff. Guilt, shame, regret—the things most people avoid.
-* Expect practical advice. Not theory. What actually worked for me and the people I work with.
-* Expect me to challenge you. Forgiving yourself isn't about letting yourself off the hook. It's about earning the right to move forward.
-If you're feeling beyond saving, if you think there's no way back from what you've done—stick around. I've been where you are. And I'm still here, still trying, still proving every day that people can change.
-''— [[User:Francisco_Meyer|Francisco Meyer]], proof that people change''