“You can fit it in here no matter where you’re at in life”

Maybelle Center member Gary S. shares what belonging means to him and what he’s overcome to realize how valuable he is to our community at Maybelle Center and our city.

Gary: I try not to be judgmental; I try to embrace everybody. Because I know what I’ve been through. And I’m learning not to be so critical. Growing up, bouncing around from town to town, city to city, and eventually ended up in foster homes. Then again, bouncing, going from one classroom to another–I never had a sense of belonging.

Now that I’m getting clarity by staying clean, I’m starting to be able to see the bigger picture in life and learn about belonging. That, yes, I do belong somewhere. That, yes, I’m worthwhile. I believe everybody is. I look back and remember the days when I was caught up in my addiction. It took me out of my true self, my true nature. I’ve done some things that I wasn’t too pleased by. But they say to treat others the way you would like to be treated, so that’s what I try to do.

We all go through different experiences in life. I feel very fortunate that I’ve been given this opportunity in the late stage of my life. I learned that, yes, I have value–I do belong. I feel like I’m part of something.

It’s never too late. Now, as long as you have breath and you’re willing and want to, you can learn, and you can overcome just about anything. I’m really learning to be pretty proud of myself. I’m learning, and that’s a big thing for me–and Maybelle’s helped me with that.