Addiction From Every Angle
Story of addiction. But not just from the view of the person battling addiction but also the viewpoint from the family, friends, significant others and any other relationship that was impacted. My name is Dan. And for 13 years I battled addiction and nearly lost my life,TWICE. During that time I was broken both internally and externally. For me, it came down to having what we would call a spiritual awakening with God for the hurts, habits and hangups to finally get worked on. Today I am a Certified Addictions Counselor, Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist(CARES) and a Forensic Peer Mentor. These certifications have allowed me to go back and help others who have struggled like I once did. And to help them find their own pathway to Recovery.Im also a Husband, Daddy and someone who is working to continue to be a person in this world who is helping others be on this side of Addiction.
Addiction From Every Angle
In the Kitchen with Mama June: The Angle of The Praying Grandmother
Ever wondered how the resilience of faith and familial love can pull someone through the most significant trials of life? Join me, wrapped in the comforting aura of Mama June's kitchen in Carrollton, Georgia, where we delve into heartwarming tales from her past, and the strength she found in faith during my battle with addiction. We reminisce about her childhood, a time peppered with dramatic events such as surviving a lightning strike as a toddler. Our conversation also touches upon the beauty of her enduring marriage to my Papa Billy, the joys of motherhood of 6 kids, and her unshakeable belief in my recovery. As we discuss her role as a matriarch of a sprawling family- five kids, and fourteen grand children and 9 great-grandchildren, she reflects on how her faith and the love of those around her have shaped her journey.
As we transition into talking about sobriety, we explore the nuances of this challenging yet rewarding journey. We delve into the transformative power of love and how it aids in this journey, shedding light on how essential familial support can be in these challenging times. From the coziness of our kitchen conversation, we aim to bring you warmth, hope, and a testament to the strength of love and faith in the face of adversities. Our candid discussion serves as a beacon of hope for anyone struggling with similar issues and stands as a testament to the power of gratitude and faith.
Well, welcome back everybody to a very special kind of brief and really going to be an interesting episode today of addiction from every angle. I am back in Carrollton, georgia, on a Valentine's Day with one of my favorite valentines of all time and I'm excited for today. This is going to be kind of a mid episode, kind of cutting in between a couple of other ones, and you'll probably hear some cars in the background because we're right here off the highway in 2027. But if you know what I'm talking about, you know that I'm here today with a very special lady to me. No, you're not an old lady. Come on now my one of my very special ladies in my life, my sweet, dear mama June Maxwell. Welcome, mama June. We're glad to have you on the show. She's already holding my hand just getting started. Mama June, how are you today? I'm good, you look good.
Speaker 2:I really am good, much better than I was.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I wanted to get you on the show around the holidays, but that's when you got pretty sick and we had to come visit you through the holidays. And now you're back home and you've got somebody living here with you and somebody who's really taking great care of you.
Speaker 2:Yes, they are. She does a good job.
Speaker 1:She does a phenomenal job.
Speaker 1:She fixes all my food she's one of the best. And we're here with you today and I think you've probably had a good couple of days, people dropping by bringing you some good flowers and some puzzles and some different things. And for those who don't know mama June, if you're in Carroll County you probably know of mama June. But those that don't, my mama June is my 91 year old grandmother, who lives out here in Carroll Town, and she has played a pivotal role in my recovery, my spiritual walk, my growth as a man and being able to be able to see how she serves and loves people. And today we're going to get a chance to just have a good conversation and I'm excited to get to sit here with you. We're sitting at her kitchen table. This if I've always told people, so when people ask about my family growing up, I say I wish that kitchen table could talk. I wish this kitchen table could talk, and of the stories and the people that have sat here and shared and conversation with all of us. I think it would be a good story. Yeah, so, mama June, so you're let's see. Yeah, it looks good. She'll be feeling when some things the table is full of stuff right now.
Speaker 1:So, but, but I wanted to. So you're, you're born and raised uh root rootville. Is that correct? Rootville, georgia, carrollton area.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay, so it was in Rootville predominantly. What year were you born?
Speaker 2:I was born in uh, Was it 31, so I think so somewhere in there.
Speaker 1:So you, you, you've made it to this far and and I'm excited that you hear with us, and so I wanted to talk a little bit Today. So one I want to kind of Give y'all the listeners, a little bit of background about Mama June. So yes, born and raised Carrollton, rootville area where you grew up. One story I think that tends to live on In infamy is the lightning strike story About how you got struck by lightning when you were. Do you remember how old you were when that happened? You were five. You were coming home from school, do you remember?
Speaker 2:No, it was, though. We come up from my house to Mama B okay and we were going Going up there because the cloud was so bad. Yeah and so we went into the Dining room, between the kitchen and stove, and that's where the light, the thunder and lightning came in on me. Oh, wow and anyway, mama B, she looked after me and the next one they took me to the doctor.
Speaker 1:Because didn't they? Didn't they think that you were dead? They thought you had passed away.
Speaker 2:Is that right? Wow, and she said no, she is not there yet. I'm gonna keep running her with water Until she comes to yeah so the next morning when I got up, I was away yeah and they took me to the doctor and and he thought it was gonna be alright. So, anyway, I'm still here.
Speaker 1:You've lived one heck of a life? Yes, you have, and I think you know, for for me, I know the story with you. I think a lot of this really has to you know who you are and kind of who you feel to be. I think all your story includes, especially for me, with Papa Billy In the story, your husband of you, remember how long y'all were married. Good Wow.
Speaker 1:Long time because he was in the military For a good while and y'all had five and then six kids all in all, and Then what? It's? A 14, 14 or 16 grandchildren. Yeah and then we've got some great grandkids now.
Speaker 2:I.
Speaker 1:Right, we had the pool fix so we, all of us learned how to swim at your pool as we kind of grew up and so so I wanted to kind of talk a little bit because I think it's good for for the people to hear their grandmother's viewpoint on addiction and recovery and to kind of fall into that. So, just so the listeners know, I made a lot of bad decisions right in my, in my time and in addiction. I think anybody who's anybody and she's already hold my hand again because she knows that was not me right, the decisions and bad choices that I made, even towards my great, my great and amazing grandmother. But Do you like, was there ever a A time? So when you talk about with me, right, we talk about how you began praying when I was in my addiction.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I did, I pray you start with. And I got it on my knees and I said Lord, you know what I need and you know how to send it, and you will send it in time. You told me you would yeah. And I said we've got to go through a lot of things, but we go on through them and we come and throw them. Yeah and uh, you're who that I want to Just, who pray that God will take care of you and Dan, and and that's all I want.
Speaker 1:Yeah, do you remember him talking back to you and what he said?
Speaker 2:Well, he only said. He only said that, june, I said I'd answer your prayer and I will answer in time and it's about time and I will. I will answer it and no.
Speaker 1:He said he would answer you. Remember you telling me that he said he would answer it in his time, not your time. Yeah, and, and I think For anyone out there like it, it took a while. It took ten, ten years after that prayer yeah, ten years after that prayer that God really created a miracle and continue to Allow me to be a grandson for you. I think we've spoken the past about those that have lost, you know, grandkids and and children, and you continue to be a prayer warrior.
Speaker 2:Yes, he does and and he.
Speaker 1:You have stayed True to that time and time again. I think, a big Story for me. If you ever want to see how you use the Bible, you should come see Mama June's Bible. It looks like it's been run over about about ten times.
Speaker 1:I think it's in your room, if I'm not mistaken, probably in the hallway, and I'll have to check it again. Maybe I'll take a picture and post it up for our viewers. But you know, for for me I think a lot of my life was built in and growing up here. We, you know, every summer we stayed here almost all summer. It felt like you lived right next to the school that I grew up at and me and my cousins played here all summer and all winter and fall and spring, and we all wanted to come here and we had Sunday lunch that we ate at all the time. And I think that that God really used your conversations with him, your pursuit to Consistently work on myself, and I think God was really working you. You always said you knew that I should have been a pastor.
Speaker 1:And then I became one and then God really let me Pursue that and come closer. I know, and now I get to use it to work at the courthouse With some other dear friends and one, one thing, I think, two listeners, and I know we're kind of all over the place today, but I think that's very intentional and I think if you know Mama June's heart for servanthood and loving on people, so you could not only for the football team, the pregame mill out here in Carrollton people didn't want to go to check for go to KFC. They wanted Mama June's fried chicken and they wanted your green beans and they wanted your cream corn and everything else you could. But you not only serve those people, you were also serving other people in our community when you were able to.
Speaker 2:Remember that man that come in here that broke off a job. He had everything on white hmm, and he slept down in the woods. Yeah and he come out there. Oh, you see what I could give him to eat, and I feed him.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Like I feed everybody else.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I feed everybody.
Speaker 1:Yeah, back in, yeah, back in even, and I'm so thankful. Yeah, yeah. I think I let me do and pay all of that, yeah, and I think, another memory really for me that lives out. So when I got home from rehab, when I was living back in Carrollton, you remember, I was living with Matt, my buddy, matt Mobley.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And we went one day it was either after Thanksgiving or after Christmas and you and I went to deliver food to just whoever you thought I was supposed to deliver food to. And I got to talking with you and you were talking about, you know, you got to love, love everyone. And I said you know what about people that don't have such a good heart, right? And you said you just love until it changes. I don't know if you remember that, but I always remember that I do remember that, because God said love everybody if you love your single, that's right.
Speaker 1:That's right.
Speaker 2:And I have tried to love everybody and I'm trying to give everybody food. It might not have been much, but they got food.
Speaker 1:They got fed here. Most people, if they ever stopped in here, they left full, and I know there are countless people who are listening that are probably beyond thankful for your service, not only with the food, but you also taught Sunday school for 67 years, 67 years teaching us all how to pray. And now you know, when you just retired from it, you had grandkids of those people that you started out helping that are, you know, are great grandkids that are coming in there, and so, mama Jean, we are beyond grateful for your service and love and hey, her and your job is good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they do, they do.
Speaker 1:And I would just say that I wish I could try to say it all. I am so grateful for you. I pray that I get a chance to be a spouse and a parent like yourself and love people like you did, and love people unconditionally Well.
Speaker 2:I've never seen nobody in love.
Speaker 1:That's a great way to put it, and so I'm beyond just madly deeply, as a grandson, just love you and care so much about you.
Speaker 2:I do you and I care for you, Mother and Daddy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know we, like I said this would kind of be a short episode, but I kind of wanted to jump in and just get you on here just to let people hear you and know that like hey, these angels people used to say when your name would come up, they would say you know, angels walk among us, and your grandmother's one of them.
Speaker 2:And the fact is that when I prayed in church that Sunday, I never prayed in church, yeah, I didn't go high, yeah, but I prayed. And God, let me pray also to let the children know that they're supposed to sit out in a circle and say a prayer.
Speaker 1:Amen.
Speaker 2:And whatever prayer they want to say for their parents or whoever they might want to do, but I was hoping to be their parent, yeah, and thank them for them. Yeah, and that's what I wanted to do.
Speaker 1:Well, and what you may not understand and maybe you do, but I think one of the biggest things that we try to do with Macy, you were really teaching kids how to talk to Jesus, yeah, and teaching them to just have a conversation with them, yeah, and that is so pivotal in our Christian walk, and I can't tell you how thankful I am that I learned how to pray in your class, along with all my other friends, and I think the biggest thing out of that is that you were forever and ever have taught so many people how to just talk to Jesus and that's what he wants from us, right.
Speaker 1:So again, I am thankful, remember, hey, you know, always used to tell you I said, you told me once you're gonna live to be a hundred and you still got a garden out back, yeah, that you still love to work in. I do, and we got a long way to go, don't we? Yeah? So I love you and listeners. Thank you all for joining us in on this special episode. We look forward to hearing from you next time. And remember there are people out there that love and care for you no matter what, and we're just so grateful that y'all decided to listen today and remember there is no better time to get sober than today. See you next time you.
