I meant to post this a month ago after returning home from Slovakia. It is a poem I wrote on August 26, 1988 for someone else’s homecoming 35 years ago. It was written for Joe Ann as she came home from treatment for alcoholism and addiction to pain medication.
Usually, by the time a child is four years old, they can identify the emotions of being happy, sad, angry, and scared. Most addicted people find it difficult to recognize and acknowledge their feelings. Many times group sessions in a treatment center begin by asking each person in the group to indicate whether they are feeling glad, sad, mad, or scared.
I felt all of these emotions when I thought of Joe Ann’s release from treatment and her stay with me through the four months of her aftercare. I wanted not only to remember what I was feeling but also to let Joe Ann know.
Today You Are Coming Home Today you are coming home. What do I feel? I feel glad - Joyful, exhilerated, delighted, ecstatic. I feel pride and love. I celebrate your growth, Your courage and your strength. I live today with hope and faith. Today you are coming home. What do I feel? I feel sad - Aching, wounded, pained, hurt. I am sorry to take you from this place Where you have found community, Where you found confession, And experienced God in humanity. Today you are coming home. What do I feel? I feel mad - Anger, rage, disgust, comtempt, About the ignorance in the world About judgment, intolerance, and stigma That makes you fear to acknowledge triumph And freedom Over a disease our world will abet but not admit. Today you are coming home. What do I feel? I feel scared - Inadequate, hesitant, tense, frightened. I fear the intrusion Of the past and the future on today. I am scared of my own fear that pushes me From supportiveness toward control and Protectiveness. Today you are coming home. What do I feel? I feel glad, sad, mad, and scared. But most of all, I feel gratitude That you are moving toward wholeness, That I am blessed to stand beside you, That both of us have grown and are growing, That we walk this way together, with God and Many others. Today you are coming home. Yea! Yea for you! Yea for me! Yea for God! Yea for every drunk who is sober! Joyce De Ridder August 26, 1988
2 replies on “Coming Home”
What a heart warming poem!! I sure miss her! 😥❤️
There must be a lot of people in similar circumstances who would identify with the feelings expressed. But this is my second thought. The first is that you have done a good job of identifying your emotions and have thereby set a good example.