2.
Letter from a Superior Court Judge from Alabama
(2004)
I first met Andrew Lakey in 1994 when he gave a lecture
at Unity Church in Birmingham, Alabama. He’d
been invited there from California to share with the
congregation his story of the extraordinary events
that had changed his life. My family and I drove over
three hours to listen to this young man, and I found
myself sitting at the front of the church with my
wife and children as Andrew spoke to a packed audience.
To give you a little
background, my children were brought up in a strict
and religious family environment, and I had no reason
to believe that we would encounter any problems raising
any of them. Although I was a lawyer by profession,
I am first and foremost a loving husband and parent.
At the time we went
to hear Andrew speak, however, my wife and I were struggling
with a teen-aged son who was dealing with extremely
difficult personal challenges that had started at
the age of fourteen. Throughout my son's teen years,
he refused to remain in school, and had serious problems
with drugs and alcohol. It became quite apparent that
he was traveling a dangerous road, and I had to try
desperately to help him.
My efforts to correct
the choices that my son continued to make were of
no avail. It was so painful to witness the consequences
he had to pay as he repeatedly faced the justice system.
The law had to reprimand him for his actions, many
of which my family could no longer bear, and it was
especially devastating to be in such a helpless state
as our own flesh and blood was placed in the juvenile
system twice in three years.
But what I experienced
as his father could not compare to the agony that
my darling boy was trying so desperately to overcome.
He was crying out for help, and in spite of offering
all that we could, my family and I had exhausted all
of our resources. That was when friends from Birmingham
invited us to meet Andrew , and encouraged us to bring
our son.
We all sat there, deeply
engrossed as Andrew spoke of his own turmoil involving
unsuccessful battles with drugs and peer pressure
that began when he was only thirteen. At one point
in the lecture, Andrew said, ‘There may be someone
here in this audience, young or old, or someone you
know somewhere, who’s going through something
very similar.’ And then he added, ‘There
is hope!’
Clutching hands, my
wife and I looked at each other with tearful eyes,
and then we looked at our beloved son holding back
his own tears. I continued watching him as Andrew spoke
on, and noticed that his head was raised, and his
shoulders lifted with curiosity and interest. He was
absorbed in the sound and the power of the message,
and was grasping every word that Andrew projected. I
thought, here was someone he could relate to--here
was someone offering him hope! Was this artist the
answer to our prayers?
At the end of Andrew ’s
presentation, I immediately sought out the pastor
and asked if he could make an introduction between
Andrew and my son, and he graciously arranged it in
a small bookstore within the church. The pastor stayed
with my family as we shared with Andrew our anguish.
Andrew politely asked if he could have a moment alone
with our son, and we left them together as they headed
to the front of the church. As they spoke for almost
an hour, I noticed something different about my son’s
demeanor. He was interacting with Andrew , actually communicating
with him.
When they'd completed
their conversation, they walked towards the bookstore,
and my son asked my wife and I to join them. Andrew had presented our son with a handwritten contract
drawn up in his own writing on a simple piece of typing
paper. The conditions of the contract contained a
“Promise Statement” declaring that our
son would agree to remain in school, go to college,
and dismiss drugs and alcohol from his life. In addition,
he was to get a job, read one motivational book each
month, and update Andrew of his goals in life once a
year until he graduated from college.
If our son were to
sign the contract, Andrew would give him one of his
original angel paintings. If, for any reason whatsoever,
the contract was ever broken, the agreement would
be breached, and the painting would return to Andrew .
These conditions were, in essence, written in black
and white. Without hesitation, our son agreed. The
contract was signed and a new door had opened.
As a lawyer, it dawned
upon me that the contract was extremely short, yet
the conversation had been quite lengthy. ‘What
did you talk about?’ I asked. Andrew explained
that the meeting was confidential, and it was my son’s
decision if he wished to disclose what had taken place--whatever
he decided was all right with Andrew . Out of curiosity,
I did ask my son about the meeting on the drive home.
The only information he revealed was that Andrew had
touched his heart. His words surprised me deeply,
as I had never seen that expressive side of him before.
It’s now 2004,
and I am very pleased to state that my son is almost
30 years old, is a respectable and productive citizen,
and has a loving family of his own. To this day, he
holds very close to his heart that same angel painting
that Andrew gave him years ago. I often wonder what
might have happened to his life if our friends hadn’t
taken the initiative to invite us to meet Andrew that
beautiful day. It was that special encounter that
brought our son back home.
Andrew Lakey gave us
the gift of unconditional love. Andrew showed our son,
as he continues to show many sons and daughters, a
newfound hope through the essence of love and art.
2004
