My Grandma Josephine
To me, she wasn't a philanthropist or a successful businesswoman. She was Grandma.
Josephine was tough. She had expectations. She would tell you what she thought, whether you wanted to hear it or not.
But underneath that toughness was an incredible capacity to love people.
She had an ability to see the good in someone even when that person was struggling to see it in themselves.
I know that because she did it for me.
There were dark periods in my life when I wasn't living up to the person she knew I could be. There were plenty of reasons
for someone to become frustrated with me, distance themselves from me, or simply give up.
She never did.
Even in my darkest days, my grandmother continued to love me. She saw something worth saving when I wasn't always capable
of seeing it myself. Her love wasn't based on me being perfect. She believed in me because I was her grandson, because she
knew my heart, and because she believed people were more than the worst chapter of their lives.
That stayed with me.
Why Her Name Belongs Here
Recovery requires accountability, structure and hard work. Josephine understood all three.
But recovery also requires something else: someone believing that your life can still become something greater.
That's what she gave me.
Josephine Recovery House was created to give men in recovery a safe, structured environment where they can begin rebuilding
their lives. We expect our residents to work, attend meetings, find a sponsor, be accountable, help around the house,
support one another and take responsibility for their recovery.
We will be tough when toughness is needed.
But we will also try to see the person underneath the addiction.
Because that's what Josephine did.
A man can make mistakes without being a mistake. His past can be part of his story without determining how that story ends.
Sometimes people simply need structure, accountability, opportunity—and somebody who refuses to stop seeing the good that
is still there.