Gibson Center transforms lives

I recently was honored to be in attendance at the Gibson Recovery Center's celebration of 40 years of service to the Southeast Missouri region. While there, I learned Gibson has served more than 50,000 clients working to get sober throughout the past 40 years -- an incredibly meaningful fact, when, as mayor Bob Fox stated, it is taken into consideration each of these 50,000 people's transformed lives also touched their family's and friends' lives, too.

The occasion gave me time to reflect upon Father Bill Kottenstette, who was a second father to me when I was a college student. The 70-something-year-old priest at the Newman Center where I attended church during undergrad, Father Bill showed me the deep love God has for me and helped me believe in it. He showed me my worth, taught me the beauty and deep relevancy of my faith and set me free from fear and worry.

In short, he transformed my life.

If you know me in any capacity, you've heard me talk about Father Bill, how he viewed life and what he taught me. You've also probably heard he was a recovering alcoholic and spent time as someone who was homeless and an addict on the streets of Denver after leaving the priesthood for a time.

It was this time, he said, that allowed him to know that, like the Hound of Heaven, God never stopped pursuing him; it was this time that allowed him to know the depth of God's utter love for him and the boundlessness of God's grace. It was this time, I believe, that allowed Father Bill to look on people -- including me -- with such love, the way I imagine Christ looks at me, when he was welcomed back into the priesthood after doing the hard work of getting sober.

I am grateful beyond measure Father Bill accepted a power greater than himself into his life and opened himself up to the love of the people around him, including his sister, her husband, a priest and children whom he got to teach once he began getting his life back on track. These people transformed Father Bill's life so he could transform mine and so many others'. It's incredible to think of all the people Father Bill's life, ideas and love have impacted.

We cannot control how our body and mind respond to drugs and alcohol; if you are struggling with addiction, I pray you will have the courage, honesty and humility to seek help. I pray you will know the loving, joyful arms of God walking with and surrounding you as God and the people around you help you reclaim the freedom you are created for. I pray you will know peace, joy and God's deep, deep goodness to you.

If you are seeking treatment, keep enduring and persevering. You were made for freedom, and you are bold and brave for seeking it. Thank you for showing God's courage and truth to the world. You are going to transform people's lives; thanks for starting with your own.

To the people who work at the Gibson Center -- either by working there or by seeking treatment there -- thank you for the hard work you put in to transform lives, our region and the world. We are grateful to you.