Our miracle grand baby, Samuel, was born 3 nights ago on October 4th to the first time parents, Andrew and Michaela. These two have been through a tremendous amount of turmoil during their young lives. Both are recovering addicts and alcoholics. They began abusing alcohol and drugs of all kinds in their teen years,continuing through their early 30's and have now maintained sobriety for a smidgen over two years. They met while in a joint rehab program, the Union Rescue Mission for men and Dorcas House for women. Both were asked to leave just shy of completing the nine month program related to an infraction against a fundamental rule.. No communications with the opposite sex was a major big deal. Unless you were married, one had absolutely no business carrying on a relationship, no less a conversation with a person of the opposite sex while working the program.
After leaving and after a brief time, they moved in together in a tiny apartment in downtown Little Rock. They created their nest, worked and nearly every evening came home to drink several bottles of wine. You see, unwinding after work with a glass of Chardonnay is totally socially acceptable, even if you are an alcoholic, or so they believed. Never mind this practice lead to consuming several boxes of wine every single night. Fast forward one year and they both were shooting heroin throughout the day and night. Eventually, Michaela nearly lost her arm due to an infection caused by dirty needles. She required hospitalization and multiple IV antibiotics all the while continuing to use while in the hospital. Andrew stopped breathing four time that last month of binging, Narcan and CPR necessary for resuscitation.
Both entered drug rehab programs again. Michaela was accepted back to Dorcas House and Andrew traveled to Kentucky to participate in Andreas House Mission. Again, even though against the rules, they maintained communications and a connection, all the while being states apart. When both were nearing the very end of their programs, they each had weekend and holiday passes to be spent with family. Of course Andrew traveled to Little Rock to see his Michaela. They had both been celibate for over nine months, and they had mutually agreed to take sex off the table for the present time. As you are already aware, that plan did not go so well. Nine months and a marriage later, Sam is born to the extremely grateful parents. All ten toes and ten fingers were counted, all appears to well. Neither has told me, but I know they have to worry. Worry that 15 years of doing drugs will influence the well being of their child. Once the adorable child was born and they spent time with him, skin to skin, love to love, all fears were pushed aside. For this was the child they both had prayed.
