History of Sons of Grace
It all started with a question.
By today’s standards I was a pretty successful guy. But even with everything the almighty dollar can buy, I never quite figured out how to achieve peace. For the better part of it, my life was as far from peace as a man could be. So…every Friday morning I attempted to narrow the gap by meeting with a group of men, each searching for their own missing life ingredient. As I looked around the room, week after week, I couldn’t help but notice a former Marine with a rack of tattoos, fierce crew cut, and been-there before look. I’m sure he observed my slightly gray, longish hair and demeanor no longer suited for corporate America. After putting my name together with a book I’d written, he took an entire year to approach me and ask, “Can I talk to you about your book, and about a book I’m thinking of writing?”
I told him, “I’ve been thinking about a book too, but on a completely different subject than my last one. I definitely have something to say, but there’s not enough to fill an entire book…I’ve got enough for maybe one chapter.”
He responded, “Well, I might be in the same boat…Not enough to say…because I’ve just started a new journey that’s becoming the real story of my life. I just don’t want to dwell on my former existence, although I know people would find it interesting.
Several cups of coffee later, we’d pulled back layers of the onion far enough to realize that although the details of our lives varied dramatically, we were a lot alike. He was a former Marine Sniper, now dealing with memories of a life once overflowing with rage, alcoholism, drug use, and suicide attempts. I was dealing with a giant dose of emotional baggage possessed by any self-inflated, over-driven successful corporate a—hole. The common denominator for us was our former desire to completely control destiny on our own without help from anyone. We just handled our unquenchable thirst for control in different ways.
A few years ago you wouldn’t consider inviting either one of us to your Christmas party. We were both textbook examples of men who had designed, and then proceeded to live, on their own self-destructive treadmills. This made us toxic to anyone we came in contact with. We went out of our way to completely ignore the signs along any road that could have ended of our anxieties – signs that could’ve directed us toward peace and happiness. We were intent on saying, “Not now” to any choice outside our narrow field of view.
After kicking it around for weeks, it came to us, that perhaps our message would be best delivered with the help of other storytellers, each writing one chapter – each with decidedly different pasts and perspectives. Men like us, once extremely tough, racing at the speed of light, but going nowhere. Each of their stories would describe what had led to that pivotal moment when they were finally able to say, “Now…I’m ready now.”
We started looking for men heavily burdened with ghosts in their closet, possibly men who lived on the wrong side of the law…even men who had lost all hope and considered ending it. The strange thing is, though, we didn’t have to travel far to find them.
We found most of them right in our own backyard (our immediate community). Look around and you will see that look of quiet desperation in the guy at the gas station, the man waiting for the bus…the guy next to you at the bar…or in the mirror while shaving.
We eventually found ten men including ourselves: some through careful and patient research, and others by coincidence. Each man took their time to write his own chapter. Some were comfortable with the process; others struggled to get the words out. Within these pages, they candidly share the tonnage of havoc they once wreaked on this world. Tears were shed by most during their intense and introspective writing; recalling what made their lives, at one point, so different than the lives they lead today. And these were former murderers, mafia associates, college champion athletes…guys who, by their own definition of manhood, simply don’t cry.
So with this…we collectively hope to let you know that peace inside your heart is attainable. Despite your addictions…despite your afflictions, there can be peace.
These ten brave men reached a turning point – sometimes decades late, but they got there just the same. They were able to acknowledge that they’d been lost, and with that acknowledgement came the strength to say, “OK, I’m ready now.”
The journey begins.
