A random meeting in court in 2015 was the turning point for one man’s life, allowing him to finally make things right.

People may enter your life for a specific purpose, as the saying goes. No one is more convinced of this than Arthur Booth, a man whose life was profoundly altered by a fortuitous meeting in a courtroom with a former classmate of his.

In 2015, a judge in Miami named Mindy Glazer and a defendant named Arthur Booth became prominent in the news. Booth was a familiar face to Glazer since the two had attended the same middle school.

She recalled him as a bright little boy who excelled in math and science and who aspired to one day become a neurosurgeon. But when Booth was 17 years old, he started gambling, which resulted in his getting into debt and falling into melancholy.

That ultimately led to issues with addiction. When Booth finally made it into the courtroom of Judge Glazer, he was already facing accusations of stealing and had already done time in jail.

“This was the kindest young man in junior high school. He was the most popular kid in middle school,” Glazer said on that particular day in the courtroom.

Booth was so ashamed that he burst into tears and could not face the judge in the eye as he admitted his humiliation. Fortunately, Glazer was aware that he had potential; all he needed to do was learn how to improve the choices that he made for himself.

Glazer set bail at $43,000, and the alternative was to serve one year in prison for him. She added, “I sincerely hope that you can make a change for the better in your life. It makes my heart ache to see you in this place. ”

After ten months in jail, Booth was eventually granted his freedom for good conduct. He had spent the last several months researching and studying about business, and he wasn’t about to throw up his chance at making a change that would have a positive impact on his life.

In addition, he couldn’t wait to express his gratitude to Glazer for the uplifting things that she had spoken.

When Booth was released from jail that day, he made a pact with both himself and Glazer that he would never return.