Billy’s Journey
The Clark Boys
New Jersey wasn’t easy for the Clark boys. Impoverished and unprepared for parenthood, their mom and dad’s relationship seemed to be centered around a cycle of anger abuse, and neglect. As the years went by and the family slowly dissolved, some grown-up faces changed. But, the abuse and pain only escalated.
Through it all, the three little brothers knew little else, but they stuck together and always had each other. They protected each other. They made it work….Bud was the serious and focused one, the big brother and the protector. Bill was the quiet, compliant giver who healed us with his dry sense of humor and impish grin. Bobby was the handsome, animated jokester-athlete, whose antics always brightened our day.
As they grew, each brother devised, or fell into, a different method to cope or escape. Bud left home early to take his chances elsewhere. He shut the door on the past and never looked back. Eventually, he found his way to Colorado.
Unable to escape, Bobby became lost alcohol. He kept it all hidden behind his sense of humor and magnetic personality. Bobby died at the age 53.
On the Road to Colorado
Billy had a much different plan. He decided that he would get as far away on earth as possible. At 17, he joined the Army. For awhile, it worked. Then, three days after his 18th birthday, he arrived in Vietnam. A little over a year later, disabled and barely 19 years old, the Army sent him home to resume that same life of prolonged and continued neglect. The next 37 years took a terrible toll on his body, his spirit and his soul. That’s the way that Bud found him when mom died in February of 2011. Shortly afterward, Billy was almost reunited with Bobby when he became disoriented and lost. He nearly succumbed to winter exposure. It was time to change the course of Billy’s journey.
Friends and strangers alike were mobilized to help. Some Billy knows, and some he never will. We thank them all. Although it took nearly eight months, and plenty of effort on the part of those who love him, Billy came to Colorado in October of 2011 to live at Applewood Our House in Golden, Colorado. Since then, he has gotten the attention he needs and deserves to correct long-standing health and emotional issues. He is finally amongst people who are attentive, trustworthy, caring, and friendly enough to end his darkness.
Enjoying Festivities at Applewood Our house
He lives amongst a new set friends and very near to his family. Today he pitches in to protect and comfort others. They call him everything from “Mister Helpful” to the “Christmas Light Guy”. None of this would have been possible for Billy without the help, love, commitment, and a strong partnership between his new home and his family. Topping it all off is a tiny little bundle of K-9 devotion named “Lela” who simply will not leave his side.
Billy will never be fully whole, but he is rapidly coming back to nearly what he was so many years ago. His health, attitude, engagement and appearance are improving daily. His hunched- over shuffle has now been replaced by a smoother, more erect and confident step. Today, he looks forward, not down at his feet. He says “hi” to everyone he meets, and that familiar, boyhood, impish grin and sense of humor have returned.
Welcome back, Billy. We missed you.
