Through this dark veil

I know that love and forgiveness are the answers. I must remember that wounded people commit dark acts in dark places. That is where addition takes people. There, they truly become lost souls— totally separated from their higher power and those who love them— from their true self.

The addiction rules and it is cruel and very, very ominous. I remind myself that he, in his deepest soul, is still that little boy I helped to raise. He is still the boy that I loved and still love. And he needs love more than ever. I wonder how incomprehensible his act must be to himself, because I know inside him is that goodness that once shined through.

I have become grateful for these struggles. I can truly empathize with the families on TV and those sitting across from me at the conference table in my classroom. Their criminal stories ring true when I hear their cell doors lock or when they breathe their last breathe. I know deeply in my heart that someone somewhere is suffering a loss while others cheer in praise.

Addiction is a curse that takes on many shapes. It’s never a pretty form, but God has made a way for me through this dark veil. I use the lessons learned for good, for understanding, for teaching. I turn to the light to help heal my pain and shattered dreams for my brother. The addiction destroyed that. But I am not destroyed.

Nor will his son.