After years of addiction, Kevin and Kris entered recovery and began building a completely different life.
Kevin became involved with Narcotics Anonymous and Celebrate Recovery. He committed himself to meetings, accountability, faith, and a new community of people who understood the challenges of staying clean.
That community eventually became known as the Road Dawgs.
The Road Dawgs were not simply a group of men who spent time together.
They provided spiritual direction, prayer, encouragement, friendship, and support.
They went on road trips.
They attended sporting events and concerts.
They gathered at one another’s homes.
They laughed together.
They prayed together.
And they showed up for one another.
Most importantly, they learned how to include Kevin fully.
Some of the Road Dawgs learned how to transfer Kevin from his bed to his wheelchair and back again. That practical help made it possible for him to travel and participate in experiences that otherwise would have been much more difficult.
Kevin’s wheelchair could have become a reason for him to stay home.
Instead, his friends figured out how to bring him along.
That difference matters.
Brotherhood isn’t always about saying the right thing.
Sometimes it is helping someone get into a vehicle.
Sometimes it is learning how to help with something that makes them vulnerable.
Sometimes it is sitting beside them when life is difficult.
Sometimes it is simply being there.
Near the end of Kevin’s life, the Road Dawgs came to see him.
By then, Kevin knew his cancer was progressing. His family and friends understood that time was short.
The Road Dawgs gathered around him, spent time in Scripture, prayed, and shared fellowship.
Kevin then told them that he knew he was going to die.
He didn’t want them to feel sorry for him.
He wanted them to know that he was okay.
He was going to be with Jesus.
That moment captures what the Road Dawgs meant to Kevin.
They had been there during recovery.
They had been there during life.
And they were there at the end.
Recovery is rarely successful in isolation.
Kevin’s story shows the power of surrounding yourself with people who will challenge you, pray with you, encourage you, and stay with you.
The Road Dawgs were a brotherhood built not simply on shared interests, but on shared commitment to becoming better men.
