Touch of gratitude

Gratitude takes many forms.

For a dozen men in Purcell, gratitude is more than sentiment.

It is a stopping place on individual journeys to recovery. It is a haven; it is their home.

Jerry Givens lived with addiction for 15 years.

Rob’s Ranch, a residential rehab for men southwest of Purcell, helped Givens forge his own recovery journey more than 2-1/2 years ago.

The struggle to attain – and hold onto – sobriety opened Givens’ eyes to the need for a specialized way station for men in recovery.

With his own journey fresh in his mind, Givens took steps to provide that need.

He purchased a stately three-story Victorian home at 223 N. 4th Ave., with room to house 12 men who had completed 90 days of rehab at Rob’s Ranch.

Both Givens Gratitude House and Rob’s Ranch are grounded in a Christian approach.

If the house and ranch are the lifeboat, God is the life line.

Givens admits he never knew God before he was accepted into Rob’s Ranch.

“God changed my life,” he said recently. “This (Givens Gratitude House) is my calling.”

Givens worked 24 years at the Fowler auto dealership in Norman before going to work for  Seth Wadley in wholesale outside parts more than five years ago.

The auto dealer is on board with his efforts to help men turn lives around.

That level of support means Givens can work 20 hours a week instead of 40.

“They’ve given me free rein,” he said.

And gone as far as employing some Givens Gratitude House residents.

The rest of his time, Givens devotes to taking care of all 12 of his “guys.”

Sobriety has truly been life-altering for Givens.

Addiction strained his marriage. Recovery gave “a Jerry she never fathomed” back to Starla, his wife of 30 years. 

The residents of Givens Gratitude House pay rent for their room and board. The amount varies because, as Givens explains, every person and every situation is different.

A house manager is on site, but as far as cleaning and grounds work goes, that is left to the residents.

And, Givens said, they do a bang up job.

“It’s one of the prettiest places in Purcell,” he said.

The residents undergo random weekly urinalysis tests to detect any drug use.

The house has a one strike and you’re out policy that, while necessary, breaks Givens’ heart when it has to be enforced.

That’s how badly he wants all of the residents to succeed in recovery.

Addiction, he said, is “prison without bars.”

Today for Givens and those who are maintaining sobriety at Givens Gratitude House, “those bars are gone.”

“We have brotherhood. It’s all about love, God and empathy. I’m proud of it,” Givens said. “It takes hitting rock bottom or loss for somebody to change.

“Some of the best people I’ve ever met in my life are addicts when they’re sober.”