How appropriate that I was at the funeral for Michael Luce. The room was filled with people in recovery. You could tell. They were shaken and probably scared. As each person came up to speak, they shared what an important place Michael had in their lives. Addiction is a very difficult part of their lives.
There were a few things said that really stuck out for me. One of his mentors asked each of us, “What part of Michael will you take with you today?” Wow, I had to think about that. For me, he was strong in recovery, sponsoring and mentoring many. What I take, is how strong addiction is for these children. I say children, because they are someone’s child. Those parents are changed and broken forever. You do not forget. You do not get over. You mourn. Just like Mary did for Jesus, just like Kim and Lori will for Michael.
Michael worked as a vet tech. His boss spoke. He never saw the addict side of Michael. Only the recovery side. A boss that realized that recovery was so important that he made sure Michael got to his meetings on time. This was part of Michael. This was part of recovery. He knew how important this was and ensured his support. That, is a GREAT boss.
I would like to ask each of you to pray for all of his friends that are in recovery. He worked hard at sobriety and then after years, relapsed and left this life. I am sure he was tired. It is a daily fight that you really do not understand unless you are an addict in recovery. I ask that you pray for his family. They know and are happy that he no longer has to fight EVERYDAY. But they will always mourn their son. His sister will always miss her brother. We mourn.
Today we celebrated a life. Today we grieved a loss. It is Good Friday. We are blessed for the celebration and the grievance.
Rest In Peace Michael. Jesus has you in his arms now. We Mourn!
