| As a son of a mother who was an alcoholic, I can tell | | | | Marsha she was either smiling real pretty or nearly |
| you from firsthand experience the cause of alcoholism. | | | | crying as if something deep within was bothering her. I |
| Unlike food that satisfies a physical need, alcohol which | | | | was 2 years old at that time.My grandfather Paul |
| provides no bodily nourishment satisfies a spiritual | | | | Krofchik (retired Lt. Colonel, U.S. Army) who everyone |
| need.Alcohol is a mind-altering chemical and anesthetic | | | | said was the nicest man they'd ever met was deeply |
| that dulls the emotional pain of one's existence. The | | | | troubled by his only child's battle with the bottle. He |
| gnawing internal dissatisfaction with life is the primary | | | | would often go driving around the city looking for her. I |
| reason for substance abuse. Young men who don't | | | | once saw it written outside of a local bar, "Don't let |
| have the courage in and of themselves to approach a | | | | Marsha in here!"Daddy's little girl died one early morning |
| young lady think by drinking their inhibitions will lessen if | | | | at 2am when running across a street drunk. She was |
| not go away. Hence the dissatisfaction ultimately is | | | | hit by an 18 year-old driver who was also drunk. |
| with oneself and his or her life. Sadly many resort to | | | | Drinking and driving is a deadly combination.My father |
| substances before they work on themselves within. | | | | said at the funeral he had never seen my grandfather |
| After the substance wears off you have got the | | | | look so grievous. Pop-Pop (as I affectionately called |
| same personal challenges and emotional pain to | | | | my grandfather) was like a Dad to me. I and my |
| contend with.My mother was always troubled by the | | | | grandma Nana adored him and he us. He never |
| fact she was adopted. Even though my beloved | | | | missed one of my baseball games. He participated in |
| grandparents gave her all of their love and everything | | | | Cub Scouts with me. And so much more!Ironically |
| under the sun, she found no comfort within. My entire | | | | Pop-Pop had a problem putting down the bottle too, |
| childhood all I knew about my mother was that she | | | | although he was a functional alcoholic. Apparently after |
| was either out getting drunk, in jail under arrest, or at a | | | | losing his daughter Marsha and nearly losing my Nana |
| mental ward receiving psychiatric care for rehabilitation. | | | | too due to a hiatal hernia Pop-Pop started finding a |
| I do have one fond memory from when I was about 5 | | | | degree of temporary comfort in the bottle.I had noticed |
| years old of my mother rubbing my back while I was | | | | when I was staying with my grandparents and using |
| laying in bed, a sweet experience which I | | | | Pop-Pop's car that he had stashed some little vodka |
| savor.Thankfully my maternal grandparents, father, and | | | | bottles in his trunk. Maybe in some strange way that is |
| step-mother stood in the gap and cared for me in the | | | | how he got closed to his deceased daughter. I tried to |
| absence of my mother.Alcoholics have an intense | | | | gently confront him about it and ask him to just drink at |
| spiritual thirst that if unmet will drive them as they seek | | | | home and not in his car behind the wheel. His eyesight |
| to find spiritual harmony, whereby they can be made | | | | wasn't the greatest anyhow. A couple years after my |
| whole. The hippie movement of the 1960s rejected the | | | | mom died, Pop-Pop took a bad fall around 11:30am at |
| progression of materialism their parents had made and | | | | a local convenient store. I got to talk to him at the ER |
| replaced it with their form of a spiritual quest. Sadly | | | | where he was admitted for the night. It was the last |
| their parents who came from a generation of little | | | | conversation I had with him, as within 24 hours he had |
| neglected to provide their children with some of the | | | | a stroke and lost his ability to speak. Upon going to the |
| true spiritual riches they did have as they went hard | | | | store to retrieve his car I found two small bottles of |
| after getting for them the things they did not. How | | | | vodka in the door compartment (one of which had |
| ironic that the first American generation to have it all | | | | been opened and was half empty).Pop-Pop spent his |
| was the generation which turned to substances to find | | | | last two months bed ridden in a nursing home and then |
| relief.The great Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung wrote a | | | | died. My Nana and I missed him terribly.All I can say is |
| letter in January 1961 to Bill Wilson (the founder of | | | | please don't drink alcohol and subject your loved ones |
| Alcoholics of Anonymous): "Alcohol in Latin is spiritus, | | | | to such grief and misery.The "new wine" of heaven is |
| and you use the same word for the highest religious | | | | available for whosoever will drink of it (Acts 2:13). Ask |
| experience as well as for the most depraving | | | | and invite the Holy Spirit that rose Christ from the dead |
| poison."Jesus said, "God is a Spirit: and they that | | | | to come in and fill your troubled heart in Jesus' name. I |
| worship Him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The | | | | promise you once you taste of the rivers of life by the |
| true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in | | | | mighty Holy Spirit you shall never thirst again! |
| truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him." | | | | (Revelation 22:17)Paul Davis is a masterful poet, |
| (John 4:24,23)Jesus said to the Samaritan woman | | | | worldwide professional speaker, minister and author of |
| seeking to draw water from the well, "Whosoever | | | | several books including Breakthrough for a Broken |
| drinks of this water shall thirst again: Whosoever drinks | | | | Heart; and Stop Lusting & Start Living.Paul is a life |
| of the water that I shall give her shall never thirst; but | | | | coach (relational & professional), popular keynote |
| the water that I shall give her shall be in her a well of | | | | speaker, creative consultant, humor being, adventurer, |
| water springing up into everlasting life." (John | | | | explorer, mediator, liberator and dream-maker.Paul's |
| 4:13-14)Sadly my mother only got dead religion from | | | | compassion for people & passion to travel has taken |
| her upbringing and never found her way to the best | | | | him to over 50 countries of the world where he has |
| bartender - Christ the head of the Church. Her name, | | | | had a tremendous impact. Paul has also brought |
| Marsha-Anne Krofchik, a cheerleader who attended | | | | revival to many in war-torn, impoverished and tsunami |
| Boone High School (one of two high-schools in Orlando | | | | stricken regions of the earth. His organization |
| before Disney World came to town). She made | | | | Dream-Maker Ministries is building dreams, breaking |
| homecoming court, graduated from UCF with honors | | | | limitations and reviving nations!Paul's Breakthrough |
| and I'm told by an Orlando Police Department Officer | | | | Seminars inspire, awaken, impregnate with purpose, |
| who knew her that she was the most beautiful young | | | | impart the fire of desire, catapult people into a new |
| lady in the city of Orlando in her day. Unfortunately | | | | level of self-awareness, facilitate destiny discovery |
| Marsha never discovered her inner beauty.My aunt | | | | and dream fulfillment. |
| Paulette, her cousin, told me that when she saw | | | | |