By Pam Bradley, Ed.D

I am his sound bite for truth so he calls on a monthly basis. He calls for advice. He calls for conversation. He calls for encouragement.

He calls to hear someone else’s voice ---someone to converse with besides himself. He calls to share his current status in life---since no one cares to witness it anymore. He calls for validation of his existence.

The only visitors who now knock at his door are the homeless winos who sleep in the open lot across the street. They are the only ones who care to sit at his dinner table---or find time for his advice…and that is due to the provisional use of his washer and dryer and/or a warm blanket at night.

He calls to unload some of the emotions that occasionally creep forth in his quest for restoration. He hopes his words can begin to help him bridge the chasm between the hurtful actions of his drug-crazed past, to his now sober existence, to the person he is striving to be.

He finds the road to redemption long, bumpy and very steep. It proves to be a test of perseverance—one he often fears and fails, because each fall-off proves to be more costly than the last. Why can’t he just endure?! Why can’t he just hang on and move forward steadily?

He wants me to map his direction, but instead I offer more questions as he considers legitimate possibilities for himself.

Are you happy with your life right now?
What do you want your life to look like?
What can you change about your life to get different results?
What are you willing to do to get there?

He constantly talks about his walk with God. When frustrated, he claims that God isn’t listening. However, deep down he acknowledges that there is no fast-food remedy to his unsettling emotions. It is just time. Time and perserverance. Time and faith. Time and action based on a sound, doable plan. And that’s where I fit in.

I am not his therapist. I am not his preacher. Nor am I his drug counselor. I am simply a coach, a cheerleader and a witness for him. I provide an ear to listen, a heart to believe in him, enlightening questions for his mind to ponder, and a truth to hold him accountable for his choices.

Our conversations are to help him design the possibilities that come from his real-life desires, as well as the concerted effort, self-discipline and faith to do so. Faith in both God and himself. His future is yet to be determined…

Pam Bradley, Ed.D is a Life, Leadership & Wellness Coach and an Educational Consultant