Today is very good for Desmond Thomas.

He is the Hawai'i football team's starting free safety.

He and his wife, Natasha, are expecting their first child in May.

In December 2008, he will become the first family member to earn a college degree.

"I'm blessed, and I'm enjoying everything now," said Thomas, a fourth-year junior. "Tomorrow is never promised."

It is a mantra he uses in gratitude for life's precious moments. But it was only two years ago when the words had a different meaning, when he lived as if there were no tomorrow.

He drank alcohol often, even though he did not enjoy it.

"Man, I was carnal," he said. "I did the college thing, enjoying life. I didn't realize I was sinning."

Worst of all, no matter how much he tried, he could not spit out the bitterness he felt toward his father. Al Thomas, overcome with personal problems, left the family before Desmond's sixth birthday.

"It was tough," Thomas recalled. "My mom struggled raising us up. I get all of my courage from her."

Belinda Thomas and her three children lived in Sacramento and Oakland, and nearly everywhere in between — Fairfield, Vallejo, Richmond.

"Just looking back, I mean, you hear those stories where people didn't have anything to eat," Thomas said. "That was my family sometimes. Not most of the cases, but there were times when we had to stay with family members."

There were two constants in Thomas' life — Belinda's long hours of work, and her insistence that they attend church regularly.

"I tried to keep him with the church activities," Belinda recalled. "Hopefully, it would pay off later."

While Thomas had faith, he had difficulty acting faithfully. When he was 12, a neighborhood friend stole some items, then gave them to Thomas for safekeeping. Both were caught and taken to a juvenile center. "He was a good kid, and that incident threw us for a loop," Belinda said.

She asked if her son could be held in the center until the evening.

"He needed to sit there and think about what he did," Belinda said.

Thomas asked his mother to bring his Bible.

Thomas excelled in football, although Belinda, fearful that his thin body would be prone to injuries, preferred if he would play soccer or basketball.

Thomas eventually was offered a UH football scholarship, which he accepted without regrets.

"I was proud to come out here," Thomas said. "I'm the first one in my immediate family with a chance to graduate from college."

Thomas initially joined UH as a wideout. After two years, he moved to safety. He received little playing time at either position, but was enjoying the college scene.

Then last year, a disheveled man approached. Thomas thought the man wanted to ask for money. Instead, the stranger told Thomas that he had "depression" in his eyes. He asked: "Why do you have so much stress?" The stranger told Thomas he needed to change his life.

Thomas broke into tears. The man walked away. Thomas never saw him again.

"He took it to heart," Belinda said. "He started to go to church again."

Thomas said: "I was going through a lot of stuff. I couldn't find any answers. ... Last year, I sacrificed my life to God. He transformed me. I think it was my calling. Now I get a chance to minister to other teammates. See the sticker on the back of my (practice) helmet? I pose that question: 'Got Jesus?' "

Still, Thomas knew there was one thing he needed to do. He called his father.

Belinda remembered telling her son: "If you keep these burdens and heavy heart, you can't appreciate these blessings."

Indeed, the tension, which the stranger had noticed, no longer burned within Thomas.

Three weeks ago, Al Thomas attended the game in San Jose, watching his son play for the first time in four years.

"I always held it against him," Thomas said. "I couldn't forgive him. The Lord helped me with that. We have a healthy relationship now. We talk on the phone more. The Lord has been working with me in different ways, and forgiveness was one of them."

It is perhaps no coincidence that Thomas' play has improved. "He's working harder in the weight room," defensive backs coach Rich Miano said. "He was always a good guy. Now he's a better one."

When safety Keao Monteilh suffered a season-ending injury, Thomas was immediately selected as the replacement.

Thomas said his mother serves as motivation to excel.

"Actions speak louder than words, and I'm just showing her now I'm sorry for all of the things I've done," Thomas said. "This is how I'm going to repay — by going to school, by playing football, by doing the right things."

Visit Tsai's blog at www.HawaiiWarriorBeat.com.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.