Nineteen Years

Today marks another milestone – nineteen years of sobriety for my dad.  My heart breaks when I stop to consider the years of struggle and agony he endured both before September 8, 1990, as he fought with the impetus and the results of his addiction, and after that date when everyday was another day of refusing to give in to the desire to satisfy that thirst that never really goes away.

But then I think of the years of ministry he enjoyed as a result of this triumph, the lives he touched, the people he was able to point to the Savior, as the former pales in light of this victory.

I’m proud of my dad.  I love my father.  And the struggle is over for him.  Never again will he face that temptation.  And his sobriety record will continue for all eternity.