Who Cried for the Little Boy?

By Ellen Huntington

Who Cried for the Little Boy? is the brutally honest chronicle of Ellen Huntingtons six-year journey to change the life of a troubled teen named Josh. From her initial excitement as she envisions being the instrument of change in a young life, through all the highs and lows, Ellen openly shares their hopes, setbacks, and discouragement.

Ellen Huntington is a happily married mother of two when seventeen-year-old Josh enters her life. When she learns of the mistreatment that Josh suffered as a child, Ellen is appalled; she throws herself into making a difference in his life and the lives of the other students at the alternative school he attends. As Ellen addresses Joshs past issues of abandonment, abuse, and dysfunction, she digs deep into her faith to survive in an unfamiliar world. She struggles to understand Gods plan as she discovers Joshs needs. Josh moves into her home, and she and her husband Grant become Mom and Dad to the boy in addition to their own two sons. While other families may have collapsed due to the stress and strain that Joshs issues and presence placed on the family structure, Ellens family held strong.

After all the heart-wrenching struggles Ellen and Josh endure, will Ellens unconditional love be enough to help Josh find and sustain his new life, or will he forfeit it all?

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Nov 20, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490897806

Ellen Huntington

For fifteen years, Ellen Huntington mentored hundreds of students with the goal of revealing meaning and purpose in their lives. She is currently a director at a nonprofit organization that seeks to better the lives of families and students. Ellen and her husband have two married sons and are anxiously awaiting the arrival of their first grandchild.

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Copyright © 2015 Ellen Huntington.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Unless otherwise noted, all scripture is from the New International Version of the Bible.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-9779-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-9781-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-9780-6 (e)

WestBow Press rev. date: 10/27/2015

Contents

Note from the Author

Introduction

Prologue

Mentor

Mask

Move In

The Memories

More Memories

Mother

Misunderstood

Maintaining Life

Methamphetamine

Mad Mess

Message

Mechanical Problems

Ellen's Conclusion

About the Author

Note from the Author

THIS BOOK IS BASED on a true story and the author's memory of the events, recognizing that the others involved may have different memories. Names have been changed in order to protect the anonymity of the people involved in this story.

God doesn't call the qualified,

He qualifies the called.

- unknown author

Introduction

HOW FAR WOULD YOU be willing to go to help a troubled teen? Not your own, but someone else's, one with no claim on your care and concern except that of common humanity? How long would you journey with that teen, while enduring frustration and heartache? Would you even start?

This book is the story of such a journey. Written with painful honesty, it is one woman's chronicle of her efforts to help a troubled teen. The reader shares her excitement as she envisions being the instrument of change in a young life. We are privy to her hopes and highs, her setbacks and discouragement as their journey together begins, then continues. Finally, we are left with an oddly comforting sense of her unshakeable optimism, even in the face of disappointments.

Ellen Huntington is a product of mid-twentieth century small-town middle-America. The world in which she grew up no longer exists; perhaps it never did exist, except in the minds of the fortunate. Born and raised in a small town in the lower Midwest, she grew up in an America that had not yet lost its innocence, an America that could still permit its children to go trick-or-treating on Halloween with no accompanying adult, to roam the surrounding hills alone, to welcome a stranger unafraid. She had two parents, and there was no talk of separation or divorce. The family's faith-based values were strong, and she internalized them completely. Pretty, popular at school, successfully involved in sports and other school activities, she could have been called a Golden Girl, one of those individuals who seemingly have it all.

As a teen, probably the mischievous things Ellen involved herself in were sneaking forbidden smokes from her father's cigars and clandestine driving before she had her license. Alcohol was forbidden, sexual purity was taken for granted, cleanliness was next to Godliness, and honesty in all things was expected. Violators of these precepts, (if any) were recognized, but at a distance. In Ellen's world, virtue was rewarded and misbehavior (of any sort and degree) could expect punishment. This was the natural order of things.

Ellen carried her values into adulthood. Her faith remained strong. She devoted herself to her husband and two sons, creating a home that was warm and welcoming, filled with friends and family. Her world was centered around her husband, their children, and their family activities. Life was good. But time passed, children grew, and Ellen looked for an outlet for her boundless energy. She found it in the local school district's Alternative School, a venue designed to prevent at-risk students from dropping out of school. Here, in this place, begins Ellen's long and painful journey. Josh comes into her life, first as a student, then a friend, and finally as a son. Josh is the product of the underside of Ellen's world, a boy who has, during his childhood, experienced personal mistreatment that Ellen has not even dreamed of. Because of his traumatic childhood, he has developed strong defenses, coping mechanisms that enable him to present a bright face to the world.

As yet unaware of details of Josh's past, Ellen sets out to help him to a better life, to move him into her secure circle. As their relationship continues, Josh's defenses weaken, then crumble, and he begins to fall apart. Ellen is inexorably pulled into his alien world. She learns its rules as she seeks help for this troubled boy. She learns a new vocabulary. Searching for answers, she faces the reality of the life experiences of the dysfunctional. And she questions.

The intensity of Ellen's journey with Josh could have destroyed her family. It did not. The family unit survived intact, with husband and sons solidly supporting her efforts. Yet life is not the same. Not for Ellen or for her family. When values are denied, when cherished illusions are lost, when the face of previously unrecognized reality intrudes, a person cannot remain the same. The individual retreats, or he grows.

Ellen Huntington grew. Those who know and love her watched with concern as she struggled to complete her journey. Not all were sympathetic; not all approved; none knew the whole story. But Ellen persevered, drawing strength from her faith, relying on support from her husband and sons. Eventually, the journey traveled left her with more questions than answers. Life is no longer quite as good as in the past; her world is not as comfortable as it once was. Unpleasant realities have intruded. But Ellen continues to grow, to serve. Haunted by what she has learned from Josh, driven by her middle class ethic of service, she seeks new avenues through which she can make a difference. Perhaps this book is the first step in another journey.

A.L.D.

MARCH 2012

Prologue

IT IS 11:15 P.M. and I am now putting the last piece of furniture in its place. For some reason I want to get this behind me, finished. The room now looks the way it did a year ago, before he somehow got moved back into the house. His apartment is not two miles away, but he prefers sleeping and living here with us. The furniture is now polished, the floor vacuumed, and I notice stains on the carpet that need to be cleaned.

You'd think Josh would have learned the last time he was kicked out of the house that this room, this house, was a precious place for him. But he couldn't stay away from the drugs and the old familiar life. I am thankful that this time at least he has the apartment to move back to. Last time was so traumatic for him. And me.

His dad and I would have continued merely to suspect the drugs in his system if not for an accident at the lake. He had shown none of his previous drug use signs. No picking, weight loss, or extreme paranoia. Words can't describe the feelings I had when the social worker from the hospital stopped by for a visit to discuss the drugs found in Josh's system. With a sick and scared feeling, I was hoping there was nothing on the drug screen besides marijuana, that illegal drug I was already so aware of. The social worker sat down beside me and my eyes focused on the paper she held. As I sat there staring at the words, it jumped off the page....COCAINE.

• • •

My body melted into the chair. My heart felt like someone was squeezing it, the news hurt so badly. Tears filled my eyes as I struggled to keep my composure. All I could think about was, "How could he do this again to us? To