Category: family

LESSONS FROM A HEROIN ADDICTED MAN

BEING HEROIN ADDICTED DID NOT DEFINE HIM AS A PERSON

PARRIS FRANCIS ARNOULT

JUNE 5, 1958 – APRIL 13, 1999

The value of a life is measured by what we contribute to society or pass on to others.

Although my brother, Parris, had all of the same advantages as the rest of the family, was highly intelligent, an incredible student, able to succeed in business, as well as help others get and stay sober, he was ultimately unable to maintain sobriety for himself. At age 40, he died of a lethal drug overdose. His poisons of choice were Cocaine and Heroin, in addition to the lethal combination Speedballs offer. Most of the people in the massive crowd at his funeral had no idea he mainlined drugs. Judging a book by its cover, he was the guy least likely to be a main-lining opiate addict.

There are 5 lessons that can be learned from Parris’ life:

  1. Parris embraced life with a joie de vivre that drew people to him.  Even introverts like myself have to be extroverted when the situation demands it. However, living each day with exuberance is a celebration of life and Parris shared his exuberance with all those who crossed his path.  He had a way of making people feel important in his company.
  2. Parris adored children and valued family.  The thing Parris despised about himself the most was the shame he carried from betraying and hurting his family.  Before he passed from this life, he asked for forgiveness and made reparations to those he hurt.  He truly understood the importance of forgiveness.
  3. Parris recognized that life is full of compromise… you have to be a giver to get anything in life.  You cannot achieve your potential by focusing on handouts from others.  You have to go out and get it yourself because anything worth having is worth working for. Parris also had a very generous heart.
  4. Parris worked diligently, making it look effortless because he worked smartly.  It’s not always necessary to reinvent the wheel.
  5. Education was paramount in Parris’ mind and he was a voracious reader. Parris recognized that an education does not end when the diploma is framed and hung on the wall.  Learning is lifelong because the world is always changing!

KNOW YOUR CORE VALUES

  • What do you care most about?
  • What have you invested the most time, energy, and emotion in?
  • What gives meaning to your life?  What gives direction and purpose to your life?

When you know the answers to these questions, you can bypass any obstacle that presents itself.  Also remember, mistakes and failures are only learning opportunities for obtaining success in the future. Prayer is powerful. Faith can remove so many obstacles in our lives and bring purpose to our being. Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days in our lives are the day we are born and the day we learn why we were born.” Parris was a TEACHER and his life has served a tremendous purpose. We loved him dearly and we miss him but we feel his presence in so many ways.

RESOURCES:

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

SAMHSA’S NATIONAL HELPLINE: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or www.samhsa.gov for FREE, CONFIDENTIAL, 24/7, 365 day-per-year treatment referral information in English and Spanish for individuals and families facing substance abuse and/or mental health disorders.

MEDLINEplus Health Information on Substance Use Disorders (National Library of Medicine, NIH)

www.medlineplus.gov Trusted health information on drug use, addiction, and mental health disorders from the National Library of Medicine

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Call 800-273-8255 or text TALK to 741741. www.afsp.org You’re not alone!

Build a Home Based on Faith, Hope, and Love

The Greatest of These Gifts is Love

Most of our lives are spent moving to a soundscape of music, whether we actually hear it playing or are actively listening to it. Sometimes it is playing in the background and I could not tell you what songs in particular I have heard at any given time. Then comes a moment when I actively listened, and it was in this instance Lee Ann Womack’s “I Hope You Dance” played on the radio:

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger,
May you never take one single breath for granted,
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed,
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,
Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.
I hope you dance… I hope you dance…

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance,
Never settle for the path of least resistance,
Livin’ might mean takin’ chances, but they’re worth takin’,
Lovin’ might be a mistake, but it’s worth makin’,
Don’t let some Hell bent heart leave you bitter,
When you come close to sellin’ out reconsider,
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

I hope you dance… I hope you dance.
I hope you dance… I hope you dance.
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along,
Tell me who wants to look back on their years
And wonder where those years have gone.)….

Written by Mark D. Sanders and Tia Sillers

With a timeless life-affirming message, this upbeat song is based on the expression of a mother’s deepest wish for her children: they will embrace life with faith, hope, and love.

FAITH

Pistis is the original Greek word used most often to translate the word faith in the Bible meaning to have a firm conviction based upon hearing or to be of a firm persuasion and is used frequently in the New Testament referring always to faith in God , Jesus Christ, or all things spiritual. Pistos, on the other hand, is the active word which lives out pistis. It translates as faithful, faithfully, and faithfulness. God is the source and gold standard of faithfulness (pistos) which He has revealed in His interactions with mankind. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ exemplifies this same kind of faithfulness in the interactions with His followers. The Holy Spirit is present and everready to bring forth this strength of character in you and me so that we too may be relied on to be faithful in all of our relationships under all circumstances.

HOPE

ROMANS 5:3-5

But not only that – we even boast of our afflictions! We know that afflictions makes for endurance, and endurance for tested virtue, and tested virtue for hope. And this hope will not leave us disappointed, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Hope springs from deep within our souls and gives us purpose…. the glory of God.

LOVE

JOHN 14: 21

He who obeys the commandments he has from me is the man who loves me;

and he who loves me will be loved by my Father. I too will love him and reveal myself to him.

When my nephews (who are now in their 20s) were in preschool, they learned a little song:

“Jesus loves me. Yes, I know. For the Bible tells me so,” was part of the tune. A simple but effective message that holds true throughout all time. It’s a universal message that reaches every continent on Earth and has been translated into numerous languages. The greatest rewards in life result from a lifestyle lived in love through the following commitments:

  • to love God with your whole heart, mind, and soul;
  • live a life of actively bringing forth the fruit of love of the Holy Spirit;
  • learn how to love your neighbor as yourself.

The greatest gift that God can give us is His mercy. That is the highest form of love that He has for us! Through His Divine Mercy, God grants us salvation from our sins. To learn more about God’s Divine Mercy, go to https://homesoflife.net/spiritual-care/divine-mercy.

AMEN