I'm so thankful I made that Choice!

Last November, a little before Thanksgiving, Bob stood outside the Open Door Mission, debating whether or not he should go in. “I walked away,” he recalls, “then I said, ‘No, I’ve got to do this!’ I turned around and came back. It’s been nothing but up and up from there!”

Before that night, Bob had known a lot of “down and down” in his life. He admits spending years around the wrong kind of people — people who encouraged his drinking problem. When his mother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, he tried to get back on his feet and help her, but he couldn’t even help himself.

Once he walked through our doors, Bob found himself around the right people. “Open Door helped me get my mind straight,” he says. The staff helped Bob sort through his paperwork and got him treatment for a heart condition. A former construction worker, Bob found a job he loves selling hardware and lumber at Lowe’s. When he’s not working, Bob volunteers at our front desk. “It’s my way of giving back.”

Bob admits there were a few “bumpy spots” along the road to his new life. One was having to shelter in place for two months during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. “You got a lot of different personalities here! I got through it. Some other people had a hard time.”

Today, Bob’s family is proud of his accomplishments. “Some of them were skeptical, but I proved them wrong.” He tells us his mother is now living in Florida and doing well. He talks with her every other day.

“I can’t believe where I’m at today,” Bob says. He credits Open Door with his new-found happiness. “They care about me. They make a difference in people’s lives. This place is a lifesaver.”

Looking back on that cold November night last year, Bob says, “I’m so glad I walked through that door. It was a tough road, but I’m so thankful I made that choice.”