Joy & Joy

By Charlie G

 

My friend Kelly asked me to speak at a treatment center last monday night. I went and I told my story.

 

About Joy getting her head caught and strangling in her grandfather's recliner chair.

 

About the 9 months in a vegetative state in the hospital.

 

Blind, deaf and paralyzed.

 

About my decision that she shouldn't exist like that anymore.

 

About her death.

 

About my feelings of guilt.

 

About my feelings of pain.

 

About 10 1/2 years of drinking, snorting, shooting and swallowing anything I could get my hands on to try to not feel that guilt and pain.

 

About 8 detoxes and 2 rehabs trying,

 

TRYING, to find some inner peace.

 

Not even asking for relief from the pain –

 

Just a bottom to it.

 

I told them about a brother who went out drinking with friends, passed out, got sick,

 

And suffocated on his own vomit before his 'friends' noticed.

 

About going into treatment the final time finally ready to do whatever it took.

 

About listening to other people's pain and realizing something HUGE:

 

My pain wasn't the worse, only a different kind.

 

Everybody's pain is the worst…to them.

 

About finally talking.

 

About finally getting a sponsor and working the steps.

 

About meeting God.

 

About things happening to get us to where we are suppose to be.

 

About the recliner chair being manufactured in Mississippi, on a street called Child Street.

 

About being a father put in the position of deciding whether your child should live or die and being born on father's day.

 

About starting a recovery magazine called JOURNEY,

 

And the first two letters and the last letter of it’s name,

 

Are the first two letters and the last letter of Joy’s name.

 

And it wasn’t planned that way.

 

About catching a glimpse of God's plan for us

 

About how many unknown children have been saved because of Joy.

 

Recliners were re-designed so there is no space between the footrest & chair after Joy's accident.

  

"My counselor at my final treatment center told me that last one." I said to them as I was finishing. "That may have been God's plan for Joy."

 

Then a girl, no more than twenty or so, raised her hand.

 

I pointed to her and she said, "My little sister's name is Joy Rochelle. I used to take care of her growing up because our parents were never home. She got caught in our recliner one day. And she was wedged in there good, too. It took work for me to get her out."

 

I waited, so scared of what I was about to hear.

 

Then I got a God shot (better than any shot of liquor).

 

She continued.

 

"But she was OK, because there was a thing that came up and kept the footrest from closing on her completely."

 

She looked at me and said, "So I just wanted you to know, that I know, that your little Joy saved my little Joy.

 

I just wanted you to know that."

 

I started crying in front of all of them.

 

I'm crying now.

 

I thanked her;

 

Profusely.

 

I told her I always assumed Joy had saved other children because of what she had gone through.

 

But to actually know.

 

To know a little girl was saved from serious injury, suffering, even death, because of Joy.

 

And her name was JOY!!

 

It was one of the greatest things God has given me, next to telling me I will see Joy again one day.

 

I went to speak at this treatment center hoping my story would help someone there.

 

Someone's story there helped me. Beyond…..

 

How can there be so few words for so many feelings?.

 

God shots.

 Bartender, I'll take a double

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