Kevin Zeiger - From Cuffs to Christ: Freedom from Xanax, Alcohol, Depression, Anxiety, Fear, Abuse, Guilt, and the Pressure of Working in Corrections

From Cuffs to Christ

Kevin Zeiger

Trilogy Christian Publishers

A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive

Tustin, CA 92780

Copyright 2021 by Kevin Zeiger

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (KJV) taken from The Holy Bible, King James Version. Cambridge Edition: 1769.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

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First Trilogy Christian Publishing hardcover edition May 2018

Trilogy Christian Publishing/ TBN and colophon are trademarks of Trinity Broadcasting Network.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Trilogy Christian Publishing.

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN 978-1-63769-824-2

ISBN 978-1-63769-825-9 (ebook)

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my family and friends for their roles in the writing of From Cuffs to Christ. Whether they provided information, fact-checked for accuracy, offered feedback, encouraged me, or prayed for me, I truly appreciate their help.

A thank-you to Dr. J. Schroeder, my daughter Amanda, my daughter Tera, my son Robert, my son-in-law Pastor Bryce, A/W William (Bill) Parker, A/W William (Wally) Cox, Reca Risley, photographer Leah Wilke, artist Amanda Hurd, Dr. Tad Yetter, Pastor Terry Cain, Pastor Sharon Davis, the members of my church (Glory Worship Center), the people at Trilogy Publishing Company, and ghost writer Linda Pearson. Without Lindas guidance, vast knowledge of literature, and exceptional writing skills, this book would not have been possible. She was a true blessing sent by God, an amazing, wonderful lady. Of course, I am thankful to my wife, Virginia, who has contributed so much to the writing and the content of this book. With her strong Christian faith, she is the best wife and mother I could ever ask for. Most of all, I give thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

In the Beginning...

W

Anxiety, depression, and addiction have darkened my life. Some of the darkness was brought on by circumstances, some resulted from my own choices, and at times, I suffered at the hands of others. However, I will not cast blame on others for my trauma. If I held my problems against anyone, it would eat me alive. Instead, I want to share my story with the hope that I can help someone else. I want others to realize that no matter how low they sink, there is hope. There is redemption. There is deliverance. I am proof of this.

I was born into a good family. However, even good families can struggle at times.

I can remember back a long way, as far back as age three or four, when things were good. I had three older brothers. I was at home alone with my mother through the day, and then when my brothers came home, I got all kinds of attention. It was a good life filled with wonderful memories of taking family vacations, playing in a sandpile in the backyard, and spending time with my loving grandparents. We had some really good times. When I was a child, one of my favorite possessions was a record player, along with a collection of records that I kept in meticulous order and played over and over. I also had a pedal car that I rode up and down the sidewalk on hot summer days, and I used to wash it regularly to keep it shiny and clean. These innocent childhood days were happy, safe times. No one could have ever imagined the pain and darkness ahead of me.

My dads parents grew up in Adams County, Illinois, not far from where I live now. My grandpa, Bryan Zeiger, was born in 1900 in a large, two-story farmhouse, along with his six siblings. That generation usually did not go to a hospital for their childrens births, so all their children were born on the farm with someone, perhaps an aunt, serving as the midwife. He married my grandmother, Ethel, and they began their married life in that same farmhouse, living with my great-grandparents. My dad, Robert, and four more children were born there as well. When Dad and his siblings were still small, a neighbor offered my grandpa a job on his farm, and he even had an empty house for them to move into. That had to be an appealing offer; their family could have a little space and privacy. However, when my great-grandpa heard of this offer, he pulled out the Sears and Roebuck catalog and told Grandma Ethel she could pick out any of the model homes in the catalog, and he would have it built on the farm for their family. Great-grandpa was rather wealthy and generous enough that Grandma could have picked out a four-bedroom design, but she was more conservative and chose a small, two-bedroom plan for their family of seven. Grandpa and Grandma were appreciative of having their own place. Decades later, my wife, Virginia, and I lived in that very same house for four-and-a-half years with our own small children. Even as adults, Dad and his siblings did not wander far from the homestead, choosing instead to live in the general area.

This close, happy family suffered a terrible tragedy when Dad was eighteen years old. On November 13, 1942, his sister, Norma Jean, the youngest in the family, died at age eleven from an accident on the school ground. An inquest says that the children were playing a game of Andy Over (also known as Ante Over, Annie Annie Over, and various other titles) when Norma Jean and a boy collided, and Norma Jean received a head injury. Her parents drove her to Golden to see a doctor, who, finding no apparent serious injuries, told the parents to take her home and put her to bed. After Norma Jean reached home, she grew worse and died before medical aid could come. The official inquest determined the cause of death was a concussion of the brain, accidentally sustained.

My dad and his sister, my aunt Ruth, filled in more of the story for me over the years. After Norma Jean was injured, she was hurting so badly that she just sat while the other children continued playing. A school board member happened to stop in at the school, and the teacher shared how concerned she was about Norma Jean. The board member agreed that Norma Jean needed to go home, so he drove her there. When my grandparents saw how sick she was, they immediately took their little girl to the doctor. He looked her over, checking her vitals and looking at her eyes, and he assured my grandparents she would be all right. He told them to give her plenty of rest and to not let her play for a while. However, by the time they got her back home, she couldnt walk. My grandpa had to carry her from the car to the bedroom. Norma Jean, crying hysterically, told her parents, Im going to die! Dad, who was a senior in high school at the time, came home from school to see how dire the situation was. When pink fluid began to flow from her nose, both my grandpa and my dad knew that Norma Jean would not survive; they had witnessed the butchering of hogs, and this pink fluid from the nose meant death was imminent. Norma Jean died in her mothers arms, and my grandma went into a state of hysteria; her baby girl was gone. The funeral was held in the home, with Grandma dressing her and fixing her hair.