I had plenty time to think this morning. The grant I work under has me covering 7 counties so today I had to work in a catchment area that was one hour away from my home base. My thought process on the way to Newberry kept turning back to upcoming events that I have to face. This changed as I received a call from someone who just got kicked out of a detox in Colombia because he did not have alcohol or benzos in his system. He only had fentanyl, which they don’t tend to anymore. I instantly started to feel a passion kick in, to keep helping others and to try to speak on boards to help with systems of care coming from first hand experience. It is weird how God took me out of my current stress about a future event and gave me a call which allowed me to get out of myself. Another odd factor to this, is that the last time I worked at Newberry Mental Health Clinic I received a call that a peer of mine had passed away from an overdose. This time, as I was arriving, the one I got the call from about the detox, was the roommate of the peer who had passed. Both of them are great guys when they are sober, but the one who is not here doesn’t have that chance anymore. So I reminded him of that and to not take this for granted. The one who has passed has a family that will continue to shed tears over the loss and there will be no understanding as to why this happened to their child. However, another message was sent to me during my arrival, a pastor was going over Psalm 42: 3 as all this unfolded, which states, “My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’ Some things are beyond our understanding but those same tears that are shed, also open a solution. “Matthew 5: Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
Sometimes those tears are the food in which we search for hope like it stated in Psalms. Sometimes it takes seeing the harsh realities of this world to seek even further for God. I wish I could bring my friend back but it also gives me motivation through his loss to try and help other families who have sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, fathers, and mothers suffering from addiction. I try to change my perspective in being a servant through my experiences. Aside from my personal experience this morning, this also ties into the loss that the Bryant family is going through. It is clear that life is not promised. So be kind and show love to everyone, as I do this I will continue to pray for the families of those that have lost loved ones.
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