Four hundred and seventeen

My husband and I had the great opportunity to attend a graduation today.  Not your ordinary kind of graduation.  Our daughter's boyfriend graduated from Drug Court today.  I feel it's important to take time to blog about it because drugs can affect everyone's life.  You never know when one of your kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, or any family member can become involved in drugs.  It can and does happen to so many families every day.  I remember being so angry when the judge sentenced her boyfriend to Drug Court.  I was so skeptical.  I thought he needed hard time in jail to scare him into getting his life together.  I was wrong.

It was very touching to hear the families of the 4 graduates today.  The people who are there to support the person graduating are asked to stand.  They are given an opportunity to say something to the graduate.  There was one dad who spoke.  He said he didn't know he could hate so deep.  He hated what what his daughter's drug abuse had done to his family.  He hated his daughter. Then he realized that it was the drugs that he hated and he found a way to forgive.  He was crying as he told his daughter that he was so proud of her and that he loved her.  I sat there holding back the tears because I knew exactly what he meant.  I hated Cody at one time.  I hated him for doing drugs.  I hated that it caused so many fights between us and our daughter, Jodi.  I hated what it did to our family.  I'm so thankful for this program that gives people a chance to get help.  It has a higher chance of success than spending time in prison.  They attend meetings with other addicts and receive counseling.  Cody is a changed person today.  He's been working steadily to support his little family.  I can see the man that my daughter fell in love with again.  I'm proud of him for completing the program.

That brings me to the title of this blog:  417.  That is the number of days he has been clean.  Here's to day 418, 419, 420......and to a life of sobriety.