The following excerpt, from the story of a heartbroken mother who hunts down her drug-addicted daughter to save her life by bringing her home, takes on special significance against the backdrop of Jeremiah’s parable of the potter and the clay (cf. Margaret Williams, “Just Come Home” in Amazing Grace for Survivors, ed. Jeff Cavins, et. al., West Chester: Ascension Press, 2008, p. 161-167). Like a lump of clay in the potter’s hands, human conversion needs docility and openness to the dew of divine grace. We arrived at Marie’s and could see through the mail slot that she was sleeping on the couch. “Marie, get up!” I called. She later said it was like a flashback from school days as she got up half asleep and opened the door. Seeing us, she became angry. Marie had made up her mind that she did not want to go back to Michigan. She decided her life was with these people and it was her mission to stay and help them. I told her that I loved her and wanted her to come home with me. She told me she loved me but she was not going. Meanwhile, in the other room, Marie’s siblings Mark and Gloria proceeded with the plan to call the police. It was about 10:30 a.m. One of the neighbors came to the house to see what was going on. Marie overheard Mark tell the neighbor she should leave because the police would soon be there. With that, Marie called out and said that if that’s the way we wanted it, that was all right with her. At least she would get some rest in jail. I broke down and cried. At that point, I gave up all hope of her coming home with me. As Marie walked out of the bedroom, the police arrived. Two young officers came through the living room. They began to question her as she walked back to the bedroom to put on her shoes. Mark sat back on his heels, put his head in his hands and cried. The three of us gave up all hope. Suddenly, one of the other officers came out of the other bedroom and said, “Marie, I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to arrest you for possession of rock” (the slang term for crack cocaine). We all looked shocked! The officer walked into the front room holding a large rock in his hand – an actual fieldstone. It was a joke! Suddenly, laughter burst out, cutting all the tension. Then the other officer turned around and said, “Marie, why don’t you go home with your mom?” To our amazement she answered, “All right.” We could hardly believe it. They never even mentioned the tickets. I thanked them profusely. It was like something right out of the movies. Once Marie made up her mind to go home with us, the struggle was over. We went to Mark’s to pick up my luggage and still had enough time to stop for lunch before getting dropped off at the airport. On the plane ride home, Marie said that there was a saying back in the neighborhood when someone had some crack that “you gotta break me off some of that good stuff”. She looked at my rosary and said, “You gotta break me off some of that good stuff.” Marie spent one year in a rehabilitation program at Dawn Farms. She has been sober for close to fifteen years now, and we are very happy and grateful to see what a wonderful person she has become.
Posted on: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 22:34:43 +0000
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