My Father's Sights Poem by Rebecca Navarre

Day after day I fearfully and soulfully prayed. For God
to keep me away from the bottle each day. Day after day
I charted in my diary each agonizing page, of sorrows,
hurt and rage. Where I thought I was drinking my woes
away. Only to face them again and again, when I'd wake.
Again and again I left my books written of mistakes. Till
God finally really woke me one day. When I'd almost drank
my life away. He asked me if I was done leaving this
destructive path? Are you going to grow deeper in death? ,
and lose all that you have? Or are you going to give life
another chance? He showed me all the pain I would inflict.
If I left the world like this. And I felt every word pierce,
and stick. As over and over the visions did replay and hit.
And he left me with myself to reflect, my choices to come
yet. Family, love, life, or bring them death. You'd think
I'd of quit right away. But, still though I struggled just
the same, still though, I desperately prayed. Still hiding
in my guilt and shame. Until the night, that phone call
came. My father's life now, may fade. But, I was too drunk
to see straight. And I couldn't be there to offer my hand,
for my father to take. I felt my heart, I felt the stake.

My father lived that night. Thanks be to God, Thanks be to
Christ. From the next morning on, I truly chose family, love,
and life. And understood what it meant. From the next morning
on, I wanted to be sober in God, in family, and in
my father's sights.