February 2025 Newsletter

“Stretching” to One Year of Sobriety…

Edward Becker – affectionately known as “Stretch” because of his tall and lean stature – has just recently reached a year of sobriety here at Soul’s Harbor! Stretch has become one of the most trusted individuals on our campus. He is a sturdy beam that supports the foundation of recovery at Soul’s Harbor. Stretch is also one of our thrift store managers. Readers may remember him interviewed by WFAA in our spotlight report last year. I am proud to call Stretch a true and dear friend to myself, your humble reporter. In the interview below, I challenged Stretch to delve into his longest length of sobriety:

How did you come to live at Soul’s Harbor?I moved to Texas from Michigan. I have family here. I came here sober but soon relapsed and became homeless in Ft. Worth. Scared, I jumped on a train to Dallas. I panhandled money on the streets. I then began to have serious psychological issues due to homelessness and heavy drug use. One day, I woke up on the sidewalk, and thought, if God has a different plan for me, then I would take that plan, whatever it was. God guided me past several drug opportunities then to the train where I ended up making it to a hospital to treat my numerous injuries and physical ailments. Medical City referred me to Green Oaks, which is a psych ward. And while at Green Oaks I found a pamphlet for Soul’s Harbor. I believe the whole experience was God’s direction. The pamphlet spoke to me. Men helping men. That sounded like something I needed.

What is your favorite meal here?Sunday nights. Our longtime volunteer Ashley comes in to cook for us. She has some of the best southern cooking Texas has to offer.

How many times have you had a year of sobriety?This is the first time I’ve had a year of sobriety since the age of 11. (FYI, Stretch is 35 years young)

How did the community of Soul’s Harbor help you get a year clean?I have a strong support group. Many members of my support group live on the campus, including some of the staff. I like the structure of Soul’s Harbor, because over the years, I have lost my humanity, and what it means to show up in society. And Soul’s Harbor teaches me what it means to live in society with its strong community of recovery. The fact that Soul’s Harbor gives us real life experiences to strengthen and test our recovery is invaluable. Soul’s Harbor is a family.

Is there a specific brother from Soul’s Harbor who has helped you in your sobriety? Someone you admire and hope to model yourself after?Chas Jenkins. Chas was the first brother at Soul’s Harbor who was kind to me. He is also the first person in over two decades that I’ve trusted fully. He helps more people than anyone I’ve ever known in my life. He is selfless. He graduated from the six-month program at Soul’s Harbor. Got a steady job. Purchased his first home. And he still makes time to come back to Soul’s Harbor and help the men here. He is an inspiration.

Are there any fears that still plague your day-to-day thoughts?Yes, I still have fears. But through the process of a 12-step program, I’m learning to trust that God will take care of me no matter what. And everything is going to be ok.

Do you think people can change?Yes, I absolutely think people can change. And I think that if I can change, then anybody can change. But it’s not easy to change a lifetime of bad behaviors, selfish actions, and dishonesty. If you use the tools provided by Soul’s Harbor and the 12-step program, you can identify the behaviors and change them. All things are possible through Jesus Christ.

Having “Super” Clean Fun...

As every American knows, February is the month of the Super Bowl. In our previous lives, the Super Bowl meant hard drinking and doing drugs. Either to celebrate or to drown our sorrows. But now, we can watch the Super Bowl together as a community, cleanly. We can do so without alcohol and drugs. We can even remember the outcome of the game. And we can recall the funnier commercials together.

So, we watched the game together. We had pizza. We had cake. We had tea. The Philadelphia Eagles blew out reigning champs, the Kansas City Chiefs. And then we all prayed and gave thanks that the Lord had given us another day of Grace. And it is because of kind and generous people like you that our men get to celebrate milestones of sobriety and enjoy communal fun.

So, thank you, from all of us here at Soul’s Harbor! May God’s light shine down on us all!