While he’d always say he loved his two daughters and his grandchildren, Darryl’s real love was alcohol — they’d been very close for 2 decades!
In pretty bad shape when he joined our 12-month residential Spiritual Recovery Program, Darryl was just too sick and tired to fight the system. And, by the time he started feeling human again, he’d settled in pretty well.
Family didn’t contact him and really didn’t want to hear from him. So Darryl had nothing else to do except work on himself.
And things started changing — inside him — and he liked how he was starting to feel.
While his daughters weren’t in contact with dad, they did still love him — and were secretly checking up on him! Then came the day they invited him to a family gathering. It had been a while since they’d wanted him there.
Darryl saw everyone, but particularly enjoyed his grandchildren. And they enjoyed this grandfather! From that day forward they began living like they were family again.
It’s now been 6 years. Darryl graduated from here 1 year later and decided to continue living on campus in our graduate transitional housing. He got healthy enough to go back to work and started spending weekends with the family.
He’s still here! We talked last week.
Today his grandchildren are such an important part of his life. He still works but had an injury on the job that hasn’t healed right — yet this Darryl has so much to be grateful for today that he’s willing to take it one day at a time.
Me, too!
Pastor Gary Byers
Deputy Director