Thanksgiving 2013: What a Difference a Year Makes!

In class today we talked about where we were last Thanksgiving. Old John was home with his family cooking the dinner and drinking beer last year. Unfortunately, not too long afterwards that things got so bad, the family wanted him to get help and John has spent a good bit of 2013 in our 12-month program. John will be home cooking again tomorrow, sans the beer! Said this will be his first sober Thanksgiving in close to 50 years!

Edmund, another old guy, said he was in jail last year on Thanksgiving. I asked if they had a special dinner and he only said, “They tried.” After getting out of jail he got high again and eventually friends helped him get here. He’s excited about his first clean Thanksgiving in years. Edmund will be here with his HUM family tomorrow.

Adrian was in a program in a different state last Thanksgiving and said it was a terrible situation. He’s very grateful to be at HUM for Thanksgiving 2013. He will leave campus and be with friends tomorrow.

New guy Ron spend last Thanksgiving isolated in his room drinking vodka, eating tuna fish and playing his guitar. He’s looking forward to a different Thanksgiving environment this year with food, friends and football at HUM.

Admittedly, a number of guys here have had some terrible setbacks in their lives over the past 12 months, but God is seeing them through. You may have had some very difficult times this past year, as well, and He has taken care of you, too.

So let’s all appreciate the Thanksgiving He has given us this year.

One Thanksgiving at a Time,
Pastor Gary Byers
Deputy Director