This year I’ll celebrate 40 years of being a laborer in God’s ministry of Get High on Life.

Over 25 years ago, at a treatment center in Mandeville, one of the clients handed me something he had written about a squirrel and a hawk describing the attraction that drugs have on the person addicted.

Please allow me to share his wisdom in the following:

“When I arrived at the treatment center, I knew I had a problem. I had no idea how to help myself. I sat down on a bench and watched some squirrels playing beneath the pine trees.

“Off in the distance, I saw a hawk sitting patiently on a branch. Like the life I was living, it didn’t mean much to me at the time. I just sat there and cried.

“As days went by, I started to learn about myself. Then one day, I saw a squirrel moving on the ground. He had these marks on his shoulders. From being a hunter all my life, I knew a hawk had grabbed this squirrel and tried to fly off with him. Somehow, this squirrel managed to shake loose and free himself.

“It reminded me of myself. Me being addicted, headed for certain death. By the Grace of God, I somehow managed to shake myself loose from its grip.

“A few days went by and I was feeling real sad. I thought I was all alone. I was laying down behind a building asking God why. Just then, the same squirrel with the markings jumped up on the handrail next to me and looked right at me. I knew then that was God’s way of telling me I wasn’t alone anymore. I was not unique.

“A few days later, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the same hawk flying between some trees abut two feet off the ground. This reminded me that my addiction is still out there, patiently waiting. That is one hawk this squirrel will never forget!”

The moral of the story is that drugs are cunning, baffling and powerful. Recovery is being focused on staying drug-free one day at a time.

If you have any questions or comments, please write Harold Keller at Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call 985-652-8477 or email hkeller@comcast.net.