I am a veteran!

When I left home many years ago, I had a good mind and healthy body; I was at peace with myself.  Not so today!  After three tours of duty overseas, I have lost myself.  Drugs and alcohol have replaced all the good stuff I once had.  Family and friends tried to help me, but they eventually gave up on me.  Somehow, my good intentions never came to fruition.  Bad habits kept getting in the way.  I really don’t know who I am anymore.  I keep telling myself that I could give up my bad habits if I wanted to, but I never seem to come to the place for that to happen.  My bad habits have become my security blanket and I’m afraid to live without it. I need help, but I’m afraid of losing my blanket.

Now, I have ended up in this place where nobody knows my name, which is probably good for me.  To know me is to hate what I have become! It is killing me bit by bit to the point that I have given up any hope of getting better.  I have joined the rest of the world that gave up on me a long time ago.

Well, as luck would have it, I met another veteran who informed me of a place where veterans meet in this community.   Desperate for some kind of help, I made my way to the local Soup Kitchen where this group meets.  This experience has made all the difference for me. Being around people who wanted to know my name and to hear my story without judging me was a breath of fresh air for me. They accepted me as I was, bad stuff and all.  Helping me get my life back on track was their gift to me.

Maybe you have some of the same problems that I had, and you don’t know where to turn to for help.  Well, this is the place for you!  Open arms, and a warm embrace is waiting for you.  I am told such is the nature of God, Who invites us to bring our burdens to Him and experience His peace and rest for our weary soul.

If you need help, I hope to meet you there.

The Resident Chaplain,
Robert Loran Ford