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Token of Gratitude

by William Moyers

For his 17th birthday, I gave my eldest son, Henry, a gift certificate to fill up the truck with gasoline a couple of times. He drives an old Chevy Tahoe, so the card won't take him very far. But with some cash he got from his grandparents and his job mowing a neighbor's lawn, he's got a reserve to keep him rolling along for a couple of months.

What I hope he'll get more mileage out of is my other small present to him, a metal token with the Roman numeral XVII stamped on one side and t ...

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Posted by: Stephanie Weiss
Comment: #1
Sat Oct 31, 2009 6:58 AM

Dear Mr. Moyers: I have been a fan of your good works for sometime now. Learning as much as I can, anywhere I can about the disease of addiction. My son (despite all of the teaching and good role modeling) made a similar journey to yours when he was 17. He is now 28 and currently has two and a half years clean and sober. His path along the road to sobriety was filled with road detours and potholes that seemed to get in his way repeatedly. Everyday I wake up with him in the forefront of my prayers, that today he will again make the choice for sobriety. I know the disease of addiction is insidious, cunning, and baffling. As you know, a loved one's addiction is a life changing experience for everyone – mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends, and those additional loved ones who come along the way. The battle still rages out there and some still view the disease of addiction as a disease of moral turpitude. Yet you and I, and hundreds of thousands of others know differently. Addiction is a horrible disease of the mind, body, and soul I want to echo the message “parents are the anti-drug.” We must lead by example. As parents we must seize every teachable moment from the time they are tiny babes to young adults, that says choosing to say no to mood and mind-altering substances is the right choice no matter what their peers are doing. Kids are never too young to hear the message. As parents, we must be vigilant, because the outside world is cunning, seductive, and knocking at our kid's door everyday. It's a shame our world chooses to make those things that will hurt kids look so appealing and acceptable. But it does. I know parenting is the toughest thing that most of us will ever do in our lives. Ultimately, the choices our kids make are their choices. The consequences of their actions are their consequences. However, as parents we have two very valuable tools, the power of love and the ability to teach at the optimum teachable moments, over and over and over again. Mr. Moyers thank you! You are setting the example and providing the world with teachable moments. What you do reaches, teaches, and touches the lives of many. Keep up the good work. With heartfelt thanks. Stephanie Weiss

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