III. MAKING IT PERSONAL
So far, we’ve been talking in intentionally broad terms about welcoming home the prodigal and thinking differently. Now let’s make it personal. I want to introduce you to Dan and have him tell you what happened when he got out. I first met Dan years ago, in the hot tub at our local community center in the Chicago area. The two of us struck up a conversation, and I just liked him from the get-go. He was funny and friendly and thoughtful. But most of all I was struck by how honest and open he was about how his life had become a mess, how he’d screwed things up, how he was battling substance abuse and his inner demons, and how he was treading water living one day at a time. As it happens, we didn’t just strike up a conversation that evening. We struck up a real friendship. And over the years, things started to happen for Dan. Some good, some bad. He had a bad relapse which led to bad decisions, which led to a number of years in prison. We stayed in touch during his time in incar- ceration and, then, as he experienced reentry back to his life on the outside. The best thing is to just let him tell you his story himself. Here’s how he put it a couple of years ago... Dan’s Story: “What Happened When I Got Out” About six months before I went home it occurred to me that I re- ally was going home. I became very anxious. Everything started bothering me. Inmates were driving me nuts. I found new hatred for the guards. Standing in chow lines made my heart pound. And if I couldn’t get on the phone when I wanted to, I about lost my mind. The funny thing was that I knew all of these atti- tudes were my problem. I knew nothing had changed with my surroundings; something must have changed in me. I knew I had short timer’s disease. I took some action. I prayed about it—going so far as to pray for the inmates and guards I was getting angry at. I talked about it in my recovery meetings and with fellow believers. These things helped but didn’t seem to take it away. About five minutes after I woke up each day my brain would start with the anxiety and resentment.
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