My 18 year old son wrote this paper about his life as a child with an alcoholic Mom. This was shared from his heart. He gave me permission to post. I am so proud of what God is doing in his life. Please read , as Cole Remembers.
Glen Cole Payne
Prayers Work
I believe that Prayers work. This has been a belief I have had for many years. My mom was an alcoholic for the first 7 years of my life, it was very bad. she had been kicked out of 12 treatment centers by the time I was 7. This year changed my life for ever. My dad and I loaded up the truck and were going to leave her knowing she would drink herself to death. There was nothing we could do, my dad just wanted to protect me now. We were in the truck about to get on the highway when I bowed my head and prayed for the first time on my own. We were about 5 minutes into driving on the highway when, till this day I don’t know why, I asked my dad to give her one more chance. He decided to turn around, when we got there she was drunk and we took all the bottles and she finally admitted she wanted help. Here I am 10 years later and my mom has 10 years sobriety now and leads a jail ministry and leads celebrate recovery at our church. It wasn’t a smooth road but we made it that’s for sure. During that time my dad had to close his record label and here he is with a 7yr old and a drunk wife and he has no job. Things were tough. He didn’t know what to do and honestly no one did. she would get a month sober then she would drink again but we didn’t give up we kept praying. All my dad’s side of the family didn’t want to be around her, they hated her for what she did. Honestly I can’t blame them. She had changed our whole family and it wasn’t in a good way. There was one thing that always kept me strong that was knowing God had my back no matter what. Im so blessed to have learned that at a young age. Everyone says I grew up way too fast but this struggle made me a stronger person.
My mom was 7 years sober when we found out she had breast cancer. I felt so helpless i thought to myself God why my mom? Why my family? But he had a plan for us. We went to the best cancer doctor in TN and we got a game plan. It was out of my hands I found myself in a dark hole again. Thats when I started praying hard for not only her but for my family. We had just gotten on our feet, why knock us back down? This was a challenge I can’t take on it’s all up to God and the doctors. My dad always said “you don’t know if you don’t at least try.” We were praying like crazy and in the back of my head I knew we would be ok and she would beat it. 6 months in to it she lost her hair and that destroyed her she had the prettiest blonde hair and it was gone overnight. This hurt me so bad seeing her in pain and all I can do is pray. Yet again i’m still feeling so helpless and sad. I just kept praying and next thing I knew we were at family dinner when we got the call that she was cancer free. God came through again. He has blessed me so much. I believe prays work because all I have been through. I hope everyone realizes prayers work. Whether they are 7yrs old or 70yrs old I hope they experience the comfort of a prayers as I did. Feeling sorry for myself didn’t change a thing but me doing the only thing I could did. Even if you don’t believe in God if something happens and you’re in a dark hole try Praying God heard mine he will hear yours too. Its at least worth a try whether it’s a 10 second or 10 minute prayer I believe prayers work I hope someday you do too.
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