A Letter from a Grateful Parent
After a “Parent Weekend” we often we hear from Parents who are amazed and so pleased with the changes taking place in the life of their Son.
Here is a letter we received after our last Triumph Family Weekend.
Good morning,
I have spent the week processing all that transpired over the parent visit. It’s an understatement to say it was overwhelming! The valuable information conveyed in that short period would have been a lot to take in, but couple that with being able to see our Son after not seeing him since June, getting to know the Triumph team, interacting with the other parents and young men…and the emotion of it all!
While getting ready Thursday morning for the first full day, I, admittedly, didn’t like the idea of not seeing T for the majority of that day. I was delightfully surprised to see that he would be one of the boys chosen to speak to the parents that morning. As he stood in front of the room, sharing a sliver of the story that lead him to Triumph as well as where he stood in the program, I was shocked by his confidence and overall positive and sometimes remorseful perspective on it all…the likes of which I had not seen in the 16+ years he was under my roof. The countless visits to psychiatrists, councilors, social workers and case managers throughout the years, some volunteer some court ordered, never once generated the self awareness that Terry seems to have gained at Triumph.
My Son has challenged me since the first night his dad & I brought him home, literally! I can provide years and years of medical documentation, school correspondence and personal journals of what, in retrospect, was my desperate attempt to find someone, somewhere that could see Terry as I did, and help him see himself in that same positive light. There are no words to express my gratitude to all of you for helping Terry do just that!
When we were driving Terry back to Triumph Friday evening after dinner, he mentioned that his dad and step-mom were a little disappointed about not being able to spend more one-on-one time with T. As I mentioned, that Thursday morning while getting ready I too was feeling that way. But now as I look back I know for certain that I was unprepared to visit with T exclusively. He had transitioned emotionally, mentally and physically to an entirely different place in his life, and I was not there. I was still at the stage where I was walking on eggshells and constantly trying to right the ship. Had I not experienced all that I did in those two days, I would have no idea the depth of the program, what he was going through, all the hard work he had put in as well as the work he is still expected to do. I think my most valuable take away from those few days is that I have work to do on my end to be able to meet my son where he is now and where he is working to get to.
What a privilege it was to meet the other boys and parents. I asked Maggie and Zack, Friday morning, if we would be able to explain what we had experienced the day before and the transformation we see happening in this young man. We all agreed that words could never come close!
Thank you for guiding my son back to himself again, and helping him get a glimpse of the man he can be! It was so much fun to be with him again! Thank you for, undoubtedly, the most meaningful time I have ever experienced!
Take care of T for me!
Love you all!
B.
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