There’s Moore to Life
Robert Moore
There’s Moore
to Life
Robert Moore
Copyright © 2011 by Robert Moore
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any
means, including scanning, photocopying, or oth-
erwise without
prior written permission of the author.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
CIP data on file with the National Library and Archives
ISBN 978-0-9869152-0-8
Ebook edition ISBN: 978-1-55483-902-5
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and Terms of Use: The Author and Publisher has strived to
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as accurate and complete as possible in the creation of this book,
notwithstanding the fact that he does not warrant or represent at
any
time
that the contents within are accurate due to the rapidly changing
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in-
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sumes no responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary
interpretation
of the subject matter herein. Any perceived slights of
specific
persons, peoples, or organizations are unintentional. In prac-
tical
advice books, like anything else in life, there are no guarantees
of
income made. Readers are cautioned to reply on their own judg-
ment
about their individual circumstances to act accordingly. This
book
is not intended for use as a source of legal, business, accounting
or financial advice. All readers are advised to seek services of
compe-
tent professionals in legal, business, accounting, and finance field.
Dedications to:
In
dedication I truly dedicate this book to my late com-
mon-law
wife, Penny Bryck (the mother of my children),
as
she always said that I was much more capable of becom-
ing a
better person, although at the time I couldn’t see it my-
self.
Lastly, I want to dedicate this book to everyone reading it who ultimately desires to become the better person they could become. Life will throw things at us that we might or might not like but it’s up to us to accept it either negatively (feeling sorry for ourselves) or positively, which will allow us to become emotionally stronger.
There’s Moore to Life
Table of Contents
Preface 9
Note from Author 11
Testimonials 13
Introduction 53
Chapter 1 Survival 55
Chapter 2 Drug 59
Chapter 3 Criminal History 69
Chapter 4 Summertime 89
Chapter 5 Wintertime 91
Chapter 6 Feelings 93
Chapter 7 Tragedy 103
Chapter 8 Family 121
Chapter 9 12-step Program 135
Chapter 10 Education 139
Chapter 11 Summary 153
Appendix 155
Preface
I was in recovery for drugs and alcohol abuse; I started to sponsor people coming into recovery. While helping them face the fears I did when I was new, I felt the need to share my experience, strength and hope.
I started to do motivational speaking and someone came up to me and suggested I write a book to share with the people I can’t reach. This is when the light bulb struck and I started to write my autobiography.
The process in writing this book has been very challenging, as I am a full-time student and given the fact that I had to relive all the emotions I had lived before, but this time I knew what to do while feeling them again.
— 9
— 
Note from Author:
I
have asked several people that came across my path to
write
their own thoughts of how they saw the way I was
through
their own eyes. I asked my parents, friends, even
some
professional people, like a retired sergeant of the On-
tario
Provincial Police, my Uncle Tim, who worked as a
correctional
officer at the Maplehurst Correctional Facility
in
Milton, and a probation officer who is also one of my ed-
itors
for this book.
I want to show the readers that it really did happen and hopefully be able to give them hope in their own struggles they may be facing.
I wish you all the best in whatever you choose to do in your life, and I hope if anything my autobiography will help one out of fifty people who read it either emotionally, physically, or mentally.
Robert Moore
— 11
—
Testimonials
Arnie & Dianne Moore (Biological father and stepmom)
My name is Dianne Moore. I am the stepmother of Robert and his brother Thomas. Robert is the youngest. I also have a son, Jayson, from a previous marriage that was raised with both Robert and Thomas.
I moved in with Robert and Thomas’s father, Arnie, in 1974. Robert was two years old both Thomas and Jayson where three years old. Arnie had full custody of Robert and Thomas, as I did for Jayson.
Robert was a very shy, reserved and sometimes destructive child, but he was still lovable. Arnie got full custody of the two boys; their mother, Shirley, had visitations on holidays and every other weekend. Shirley would not show up most of the time, which was very hard on the Robert and his brother. Thomas was her favourite. Robert would always come home hurt, bruised and dirty.
In school Robert had a very difficult time; things did not come to him easy at all. He was in trouble all the time, but did manage to get through it.
Arnie
and I have bought a house up north in Flesherton,
Ontario,
when the boys were in their teen years. Figuring
they wouldn’t
get in so much trouble in a smaller commu-
nity but it seemed to
be downhill from the time we moved
to
Flesherton, when Robert was 14. Robert seemed to have
fallen
apart, as it was a century shock to move to a small
— 13
— 
town of only 300 people. So Robert always said he was going to move out at the age of 16.
When
Arnie and I went to pick up both Robert and
Thomas
from their mother’s in Oakville, Ontario, Robert
wasn’t
around. He ran away so he wouldn’t have to go back
up north.
When
I contacted the school to let them know Robert
wasn’t going to
come back to the school, I found out that
he
had been suspended for three weeks and he had to sign
papers
to say that when he was 16, which worked out to be
the three week
period of his suspension. Robert would be
terminated
from the school and not allowed on the school
property.
If he did, he could be charged with trespassing.
We
never did find out why or what he did.
Robert
seemed to have a pattern of phoning us when he
was
drinking or high on drugs, or when he was in jail.
While
he was drunk or high he would call and we would
have
numerous telephone conversations along with verbal
fights.
It seemed that he wasn’t ready to hear what we had
to
say about his lifestyle. It was Robert’s way or no way at
all.
When
he had his children I thought he would change his
ways,
but he didn’t. When Penny, the mother of his chil-
dren,
passed away just after she gave birth to their second
child,
Robert went further into himself and became angrier
at
everything in his way. This was the same thing when his
brother,
Thomas, and cousin, Timothy, were killed in car
crashes.
Years later, Robert
took everyone by surprise when he
told everyone he was in a
treatment centre to get help for
— 14
— 
his
addictions, although we had heard this story way too
many
times. He seemed to have woken up this time and
saw
the light because he has done a 100% turnaround. He
stopped
drinking, using drugs, even smoking cigarettes, and
he hasn’t
visited the jails again unless he was volunteering.
I believe it has been a long, hard battle for him. I am sure it will be for a long time, but Robert has made it this far, just over five years without any drugs or booze. He has upgraded his education and decided to continue until he receives his master’s degree.
Robert’s father and I are very proud of all his achievements, as Robert has a lot of awards and he continues to achieve more. He has gotten so many awards for volunteering through the community and helping people that it became a way of life for him.
Arnie and I will stand behind Robert all the way.
Dianne Moore
— 15
—
Frances (my aunt; dad’s sister)
I’m
Robert Moore’s aunt. His father is my brother. I
remember
Rob as a happy baby with great big smile and
dimples.
He appeared to be an easygoing child. When he
was
a little over a year, his mother left his father. Worried
how
he would manage to work and look after two boys,
Arnie
asked if I could help him out. Since I just separated
from
my husband I agreed to do so. So my son Tim, who
was
four, and I moved in. I remained there for a few months
then
suggested my brother get a nanny, which he did. While
I
was there the boys were great kids. Nothing seemed to
bother
Robert, except when I was leaving to go home, and
he
cried and screamed. I would visit my brother on week-
ends
to stay in touch with the boys so they wouldn’t think I
left
them too. Then my brother was reunited with his ex-
girlfriend,
Dianne. Dianne later moved in with them, along
with her son,
Jayson.
When Rob started school he began to get into trouble, and this was kindergarten. The teacher would send him to the coatroom (timeout) to sit and think about his behaviour and there he would cut the coats with scissors. That was the beginning for Rob, and as I understood he continued to be a troubled boy.
When
Robert was in his early teens the family moved
up north to the
country, Flesherton, Ontario, a population
of 300 people. This
was very hard on all the boys; there
was
nothing out there for them to do, so they all got in trou-
ble.
For a few summers my brother Arnie would send all
three
of them down to me in Mississauga because there was-
n’t any
employment up north. I gave them two weeks to
— 16
—
get a job or back to the boondocks. Rob was the youngest and I was a little worried about him, but for some reason these boys always obeyed me when I talked to them. My son Tim got Rob in the A&P warehouse in Toronto, where he worked the whole summer without any incidents. At the end of summer they would go back home. School started again, and the trouble would start again.
The next thing I know all the boys left home. My brother would tell me about the problems Rob would get into and end up in jail. My heart would ache for him. He continued the lifestyle of drugs, alcohol and jail. At times he would get into altercations and end up in the hospital with stab wounds. He would call me from jail and we would talk for a while about his behaviour in hoping something would sink in. Then in 1991 he became a father of a little girl, Elizabeth, but he was unable to be at her birth because he was in jail again.
When
he got out I was hoping he would change his
ways,
now being a father, but that didn’t happen. Then, in
1991,
my son, Tim, was killed in a car accident. He and the
three
boys were very close cousins, but once again Rob was
in
jail and could not attend the funeral. On the first anniver-
sary
of Tim’s departure, Rob, Penny and Elizabeth came to
my
home. Penny was eight months pregnant with their sec-
ond
child, Jeffrey. This was the first time I met her and saw
Elizabeth
since she was born. A couple of weeks later I get
a call that
Penny had the baby and Penny had passed away.
My brother and
sister-in-law came down to my home to stay
a
while. We went to the hospital to see the baby (later called
Jeffrey) and for support for Rob. The social worker at the
— 17
—
hospital said they would not release the baby to Rob unless he had someone to watch over him, and since my brother was going on holidays, there wasn’t anyone except me, so I took them both home with me.
Rob
stayed with me for about two weeks, then took
Elizabeth
and went back to Burlington, leaving the baby,
Jeffrey,
with me. There he started his bad behaviour over
again
and eventually had Elizabeth taken away from him.
So
to keep the baby safe from Rob coming and taking him
in
one of his drug or drunken moods, I went for custody of
Jeffrey;
at least I knew he wouldn’t end up in Children’s
Aid.
Rob
continued his bad behaviour, in and out of jail for
sometime.
He would call me to see how Jeffrey was and at
times
wanted to speak to him. Now I had to show tough
love
for Rob to see that I mean what I say, and he knew
when
I said I was going to do something, I followed through
with
it. I told him as long as he continued this lifestyle, I
would
not let him see or speak to his son Jeffrey, and that
hurt me
very much. No matter what Rob was doing with
his
life, I loved him dearly and I never had a problem in
telling
him that. When he got out of one of his jail stays he
called
to say he was staying in Hamilton for a while and
that
he had a job and was going to try and change his ways.
Unfortunately,
that didn’t last long, his brother Tom was
killed
in a car accident and that started Rob’s behaviour all
over
again. Once again he would call me and we would talk
a
lot. I would send him money to buy whatever in jail plus
we
wrote a lot as well.
Then there was a period I didn’t hear from him, and
— 18
—
when
I did he told me he was back in school and got his
Grade
12 diploma. I was so proud of him. He said he was
going
to college now to further his education in social work.
I told
him if he stayed straight I would be there for him and
help
him if he needed it. So needless to say I am so very
proud
of Rob, and I know it has been a struggle for him try-
ing
it on his own with studies and an apartment to pay for,
but
he knows that I’m always here to help him when
needed.
He now has a relationship with his son, who is also
proud
of him. I must say that the whole family is behind
Rob
and that we’re all so very proud of him.
Fran
— 19
—
Shirley Connolly (biological mother)
I,
Shirley Connolly, am Robert Moore`s biological
mother
and I recall the following experiences in his life.
Robert
was born in the Oakville Hospital on May 29,
1972.
Every night after he was no longer sleeping in a crib,
I
would find him on the floor behind the bedroom door.
When
he was two years old, I was ready to leave for work
when
he passed out on the living room floor. Worried, I
called
911 and we were rushed to the Oakville Hospital
where
tubes were placed in both ears.
Roberts’s
father, Arnie, and I separated within a year
after
this incident; he left early one morning while I was
sleeping
with the boys and went to his mother’s house, and
called
the police to have me removed from the house. This
was
after he had located his old girlfriend, Dianne, Arnie’s
wife
today. Robert and his brother, Thomas, were raised by
their
father and his new girlfriend because of this.
I
found in the years after he turned ten he defied author-
ity,
had problems at school and started smoking at the age
of
thirteen or fourteen, which I totally disagreed with.
Robert
became rebellious at the age of fifteen, got into a lot
of
trouble with the law doing break-and-enters, fighting. I
also
believe this is when he started using heavy drugs and
drinking.
He came to reside with me off and on at the age of sixteen for a number of years. Before this time he had already met his brother, Kevin, from my second relationship, but that was when he met his other brother, Riagan.
Robert was stealing
from everyone including me, large
sums of money. Robert was
heavily drinking and abusing
— 20
—
drugs
on a daily basis when he became involved in a rela-
tionship
with Penny Bryck at the age of seventeen.
They
had a baby girl, Elizabeth, in 1991 and Jeffrey the
following
year. During the birth of Jeffrey, Penny experi-
enced numerous
medical problems, which led to her death.
Robert
started acting out even more and his daughter
was
taken away from him, and his son was with other fam-
ily
members. Robert used her death as an excuse for every-
thing
he did and all the trouble he was creating for himself
with
the law.
He was spending a lot of time in jail with no regard for anything his father or I had to say to him about his actions. I repeatedly insisted that he clean up his act.
In February of 2002, I went to Hamilton, Ontario, and told Robert he was leaving with me. I told him to never return there because he was causing way too much trouble. I didn’t at the time know the police were looking to charge him with attempt robbery with a weapon.
This
all took place two months after his brother, Arnold
Daniel
Thomas, was killed in a major car accident.
Robert
resided with me for about two years, holding
down
a job without incident. After a while he started drink-
ing
and abusing drugs again, so I requested that he leave
my
home. Upon his leaving, he moved to Peterborough,
Ontario,
where he became involved with people who where
associated
with organized crime and who were very dan-
gerous.
Just
before his leaving and coming to reside with me yet
again
he landed in the hospital from being stabbed in the
chest,
damaging his lungs and liver, and was rushed into
— 21
—
surgery. He had a court hearing related to this matter, which I attended with him in Peterborough.
The
crown expressed its desire of wanting to sentence
him to 12 years
in prison for numerous charges, including
aggravated
assault with a weapon and breaches, but with a
lack
of evidence and my being present and willing to let
him
live with me, the judge decided he would be better off
leaving
their city, never to return, and living with his
mother.
He
went to his father’s house for the summer of 2005,
arriving
back to my home July of 2005 happy and very ex-
cited.
Within the next two weeks he started drinking and threatening people and again stealing my bank card along with large sums of money from me, so I told him again to leave my residence for the last time.
Robert
slept outside, with nowhere to live for almost
seven
years, going without food most of the time, freezing
and having
no one to turn to. Robert used to sign into the
local
detox to get food, shower and keep warm if only for a
week
at a time. Robert once again signed himself into the
detox and
rehab centre, which brings him to where he is in
life
now.
Robert has his Grade 12 diploma, along with numerous diplomas, certificates and awards, also one in his name at Georgian College. I must mention, though, he did over the years try several ways to be creative, taking art classes (he draws extremely well), locksmithing and cooking classes at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario.
As Robert’s mother, I am very proud of him, along with
— 22
—
brothers Riagan and Kevin. Everyone knows Thomas would also be extremely elated with what Robert has accomplished in the last five-plus years: sober, drug- and smoke-free, does not steal from anyone and gets all the education possible in the fields he knows best, having lived this sort of life to assist others.
Shirley Connolly
— 23
—
Tim Connolly (biological mother’s brother)
My
name is Tim Connolly. I am writing this to talk
about
my nephew, Robert Moore. I have known Rob since
the
day he was born. I actually remember his mother (my
sister,
Shirley) wearing fuzzy slippers in the hospital when
I
came to visit her and walking around holding this new
bundle
of joy. I was only seven years old at the time but I
do
remember seeing Robert, holding him and playing with
him while
everyone told me not to drop him, Hehehe.
My memories of Robert are scattered as it was a long time ago that we were kids. I remember a birthday party at my house when Rob was very young, probably two. I think the party was for Tom (Rob’s older brother). I remember running in the yard and playing with him and the balloons. It was a good day. I do remember Rob as a very outgoing and lovely child, carefree and innocent.
This
period in Rob’s life (childhood) is vague for me
because I did
not see him too much after Shirley split up
with
Robert’s father, Arnie. I saw Rob on occasion but he
was
always a pleasant boy. He always, actually to this day,
has
called me “Uncle Tim.” As Rob grew he lived with his
father
and I believe Arnie remarried or had a live-in girl-
friend.
I never knew her. Rob began getting in trouble as
he was
growing older. I rarely saw much of Rob during this
period,
as Shirley did not have custody and had remarried.
Shirley did
have two more boys with her new husband.
Sadly,
Rob never really knew our family, especially my
mother,
who was a very loving woman and I’m sure if the
trouble had not
started she would have been closer to Rob,
and Rob would have
been closer to me as a result.
— 24
—
As
a young adult, the trouble became serious for Rob
and he began
going to jail. I have been employed for 24
years
as a prison guard and Rob began coming to the jail I
worked
at. I remember seeing him in the bull pin (jail cell)
and
him saying, “Hi Uncle Tim.” I honestly was embar-
rassed and
told him to not refer to me as “Uncle Tim,” as
this
could cause undue hardship for him. Rob was in and
out
of jail, as was his brother, Tom. I was always shaking
my head,
thinking, “Are these boys ever gonna change?”
I
also have some bad memories of Rob beating my
brother
(Pat) up and stealing from him. My brother would
call
me and say, “Rob beat me up, stole my money, smokes
and
booze.” I remember telling Pat to stand up for himself
and
not to let Rob push him around. Sadly, my brother was
a
drunk and Rob was also physically and mentally much
stronger
than my brother, so he took advantage of him.
Rob
later got involved in organized crime, which also
landed
him in and out of jail. Rob was a man now and knew
how
to handle himself, especially in jail. My coworkers
would
tell me, “You need to control your nephew. He’s
gonna
kill somebody.” This was actually traumatic and em-
barrassing
for me and I wanted nothing to do with Rob be-
cause of his ties
and criminal activity. This went on for 16
years.
Rob in and out of jail, booze and drugs. I remember
really not
caring. Seeing Rob in jail almost became routine
and
coworkers would say, “Hey Tim, Robert Moore, your
nephew,
is back.” I would respond, “No surprise there.”
My
mother told me about Rob’s common-law girlfriend
dying
as a result of childbirth gone badly. I actually did feel
bad
for Rob, as this is very rare in this day and age. I also
— 25
—
felt
bad for the child, as it had no mother and a criminal fa-
ther.
Not a good start. My life moved forward and I had
no
dealings with Rob for a long time. I noticed he was not
coming
into jail as often and finally he stopped coming to
jail
period. I wondered what he was doing. I barely ever
talked
to my sister, Shirley, and was kept up to date by my
sister,
Mary, but she did not see Shirley either and the up-
dates
were very vague. I attended Tom’s funeral (Robert’s
brother)
on December 17, 2001. Robert was there and we
talked for just a
few brief moments. We exchanged pleas-
antries but did not
really talk. Throughout my life I really
never
had a relationship with Rob, mainly due to three
things:
his lifestyle (crime); I never really saw him much
growing
up or as an adult; I did not trust him or his associ-
ates.
For years I did not hear from Rob or really know what he was doing. Then in 2009, a very bizarre thing happened. Rob contacted me on YouTube and asked to be friends. Rob sent me a letter telling me what he had been up to. I was shocked to read this and a little skeptical. I was not sure what to make of it. Then Rob sent me a message saying some weirdo was asking him for my telephone number and address off of YouTube. He also said this person was slandering me and out to get me.
I
went through two weeks of hell, not knowing the true
extent
of these threats from an unknown person. They did
indeed
have all my info, like my address, but the phone
number
they had was an old one. They threatened to harass
me
on the Internet as well as call my house and even show
up at my
front door. Rob was for some reason getting
— 26
—
emails
from these people. I do not know exactly why he
was chosen but
it turned out to be a good thing all round.
Rob
put himself on the line for me. A very unselfish move
on his
part, not really sure why but he did this nonetheless.
It
was here that I started to believe some of the things
Rob
had emailed to me in his original letter to me on
YouTube.
Rob and I talked several times on the phone
while
this stalker situation was unfolding. Rob kept receiv-
ing
emails from this wacko and decided enough was
enough.
Rob (who I did not know possessed these skills)
used
computer skills he acquired and also a previous crim-
inal
mind to somehow track this cyber bully and potential
home
invader down. Rob told them, “I know who you are,
so
you better stop.” Police in Texas were also notified by
Rob,
and he forwarded me a very professional letter he sent
the
police there. I was very impressed when not only did
Rob
track them down, but they were busted and shut down
by
him as well. Police emailed Rob or spoke on the phone,
thanking
him for his letter.
The situation died down and despite moments of extreme tension, it settled and everything worked out fine, thanks to Rob. I truly believe Rob has changed for the better. He is moving forward in his life and is getting himself educated and realizing there is more to life than selfish criminal activity. Things have changed between Rob and I, and I have no problem acknowledging him as my nephew and as a friend as well.
I
feel strongly that big things are on the horizon for Rob.
I
also feel that Rob did go down enough of the wrong road
in order
to help those that are stuck in the negativity that
— 27
—
life throws at them. All you have to do is remember Rob’s story and believe it can happen for you as well.
God bless and keep striving high.
Uncle Tim
— 28
—
Jeffrey Moore (Biological Son)
My
biological father, Robert, was a man that I looked
at
as a brother because at the age of seven you don’t exactly
understand
the difference between a brother and an uncle.
I
grew up calling him Uncle Rob. As a kid, I looked up to
him
because he was the hard case in the family. Growing
up,
I would have those days where he would be calling from
jail on
Christmas just to wish me a merry Christmas.
I
guess I looked up to Rob as a brother because I called
him Uncle
Rob, but I only found out that he was my father
at
the age of 12. I sat down on the couch and when Rob
was
leaving after popping by one day to see how things are,
I
had asked my mom/aunt who my father was and she said,
“If
Uncle Tom has passed on and Jayson is nowhere to be
seen,
then who do you think your father is?” “Uncle Tom?”
I
said. No. “Uncle Jayson?” No. “Uncle Rob?” Yes.
Before
then, I had always wondered who my parents
were.
I knew my mother passed on, when it came to my fa-
ther
I had thought he was in prison and that someday I
would
meet him face to face. Growing up, I didn’t care to
meet or
get to know my father. I just wanted to go on with
life and see
where it took me. By the time I entered Grade
8,
I noticed what my father’s lifestyle was and where he was
going
with that type of lifestyle. I realized he was the biker
type
and that he was going nowhere with that lifestyle. I
looked
up to that, as I felt cooler then my friends to have a
hard-ass
for a dad, but at the same time, I couldn’t be look-
ing up to
someone because of their negative lifestyle. Just
like
the kids that looked up to me, I told them they shouldn’t
look
up to me for my negatives; it should be for the positive
— 29
—
roles
in life you should be looking up to. Even though my
father
wasn’t there to raise me, I still managed to slowly
follow
his footsteps into the gang world. I hit Grade 9 and
that’s
when I felt as if I knew Rob like he were my father,
but
even then he was still a brother. As a teen you think that
wearing
bandanas is cool and having a badass for a relative
makes
you feel cool, but you then start to realize all of it is
stupidity.
I never understood why I liked following Rob’s
lifestyle.
Even though I looked up to him as a brother, I
have
a brother, a brother (a cousin that I was brought up
with,
which I call my brother) that never let me fall without
having
the chance to get up again and even then I chose the
bandana
and the homies. I had bandanas for five years until
I decided to
drop the act.
People
wondered why and how. I feel it was because
of
Rob once again. He told me where my friends stood in
the
gang world and he told me where the gangs basically
all
end up. I told my brother the things I had done at school
and
he wasn’t pleased, but at the same time he always said,
“I’m
glad you kicked his ass.” But Rob would ask why I
did
it, and I always came to a blank when he asked me.
When
I hit Grade 10 I found out Rob was getting into coun-
selling
and I didn’t care, to be honest. I was a kid and
teenagers
believe the world revolves around them. Before
Rob
had even been in counselling, my mom/aunt told me
he
would be on drugs, high all the time, fighting and other
things
he did to break the law. He would drink and fight or
even
around his younger years hang around Clarkson, fight-
ing, doing
nothing but getting into trouble.
I am very pleased with Rob today, and today I can call
— 30
—
him my dad/father. I had the honour to participate in Rob’s fifth year of sobriety, as I was the one that gave my dad the medallion. This made me feel that if my dad/father can do it, so can I.
Jeffrey Moore
— 31
—
Michele McLeod (ex-girlfriend)
My name is Michele McLeod. Rob is my ex-boyfriend, who I met in 1992. I met Rob right after his common-law wife passed away after giving birth to his son.
Rob
had a beautiful daughter, Elizabeth, who was 15
months
old, who he was raising alone. My heart really went
out
to this man, for you could see the heartache and anguish
so
clear. With Rob being a young, single father, Children’s
Aid
had an open file and was quite concerned about his sit-
uation.
I have an early childhood education diploma, which allowed me to help him and his daughter. So I had them come and move in with me to help raise Elizabeth.
Rob
tried and had a hard time dealing with his loss, and
responsibility
wasn’t easy. He dealt with his pain by drink-
ing
and fighting and eventually got involved with drugs.
Eventually,
Rob and I separated but remained good friends.
Throughout
the years Rob and I were together on and off,
and
then when I was with Rob, I feel that I spent just as
much
time alone as with him, waiting for him to get out of
one of the
jails.
Rob’s anger and pent-up frustration got him into a lot of trouble with the law. Eventually, I had a daughter of my own and also ended up a single parent. Rob got very close to my daughter, Alexandra, and was around for holidays, birthdays and her first day of school.
As
time went on, Rob proceeded to get worse with his
drinking and
got into trouble. A couple of years went by
where
I did not speak to Rob. A lot of rumours were said
that
he was dead or had vanished. One day Rob’s Uncle Pat
— 32
—
gave me Rob’s number and said he was asking about me, which really surprised me, since I hadn’t heard from Rob in years.
I
called Rob and I was presently surprised that he had
left
town to make a fresh start. He had been sober for al-
most
four years and was attending college, and had success-
fully
completed a course in alcohol and addiction
counselling.
This was wonderful news. I always knew Rob
had it in him; he
just had to stop drinking. I have seen the
good,
the bad and the ugly from Rob and I am so proud of
him for
turning his life around and realizing his potential.
Congratulations, Rob, and stay on the honour roll. Michele McLeod