I never got the father I longed for. And it made my heart sick for a very long time. I didn’t know I needed to process it. I didn’t even realize it was grief. After all, how can you grieve something you never had? But I’ve since learned - that’s not only possible, it’s necessary. For a long time, I pushed that grief down.

When your child is battling addiction, every moment feels like a crisis waiting to happen. You wake up each day bracing for a phone call, a message, a silence that lasts too long. But even in the most fragile moments of fear, God can break through with a whisper so clear, you never forget it. Four months into my 17 year old daughter Regan’s treatment, I was still holding my breath. She had been doing well, connecting with her recovery group and finally starting to look health