Mar. 30—Clutching a cheese puff in his hand, 2-year-old Jayden McCarley climbed past his younger brother and onto his mother’s lap. He wrapped his arms around her neck, kissed her nose and giggled.

“This is what I have prayed so hard for every single day, having Jayden home with me and his little brother. My sons are my everything. They are my No. 1. I am so thankful for them,” 30-year-old Kristin Bolin said.

This Easter, Bolin, a recovering alcoholic and addict, is giving thanks for redemption, recovery and second chances.

As “Peppa Pig” played in the background of the Decatur home and Jayden ran around the living room clad in a “Mama’s Mini” sweatshirt, Bolin held JJ McCarley, who turns 1 on Saturday, and shared her journey — a journey that included multiple arrests for controlled substances, two prison sentences, homelessness, losing custody of Jayden and sobriety.

“I don’t know where I would be today if I hadn’t found Jesus. I don’t want to know. God has done so much work on me. My miracle of having both of my boys with me has happened because I have gotten to know Jesus,” Bolin said.

Bolin, the middle child of three girls, each separated by a year and a half, grew up in Illinois. She described her early childhood as “great” and her family as “very close.” But at 16, she started experimenting with alcohol and drugs.

“I slowly stopped going to school, failed, was held back and finally dropped out in 11th grade,” Bolin said. “It just went downhill from there. I met a guy and started experimenting with even harder drugs, methamphetamine and opiates.”

Trouble with the law soon followed.

At 18, Bolin started getting arrested. In 2015, the court sentenced Bolin to 1 1/2 years. After her release, Bolin, trying to escape ties to her life as an addict, moved with her family to Foley, Alabama, where her grandparents lived.

“It was a new start and a clean slate. And I did great at first. I worked at Lambert’s Café where they throw the rolls, and I was staying clean,” Bolin said. “But then people started to want to hang out with me and have a couple of drinks. That’s how my troubles always start, thinking I can just have a couple of drinks and stop. Drinking always leads to drugs for me.”

Bolin plunged deeper into addiction when her father died two weeks after doctors diagnosed him with cirrhosis of the liver.

“It was hard. My mom was hurting. She was dealing with my dad’s death and applying for disability because she had a leg amputated because of diabetes. Instead of trying to help out my mom and my family, I started doing drugs even harder. That was the way I coped,” Bolin said.

An arrest for controlled substances sent Bolin back to jail. While serving time, Bolin’s family moved back to Illinois. Instead of returning to Illinois, Bolin, upon her release, enrolled in LifeSource, a residential drug recovery program in Somerville, five hours away from Foley.

“One of my friends recommended LifeSource. She made sure I had a bed and that someone was there to pick me up when I got out of jail,” Bolin said. “LifeSource changed my life. It was the first time I stayed clean and sober for more than a couple of months. I started going to church for the first time and saw how God was working in my life. It was an amazing feeling.”

After 1 1/2 years in the program, Bolin moved to Decatur where she met Cade McCarley, the father of her children.

“We were doing good and going to meetings and church. But he started back into addiction and I followed,” Bolin said.

When Bolin became pregnant with Jayden, she stopped her alcohol and drug abuse. But, after Jayden’s birth, Bolin returned to using.

Bolin and McCarley lost their house and car and moved to Foley, where McCarley’s family lived.

“We didn’t have a permanent place to live. We were bouncing around between people,” Bolin said. “We got pulled over and Cade got arrested. When the police noticed we were basically living out of our car, they set up a DHR (Department of Human Resources) investigation.”

Bolin reached out to Jayden’s paternal grandmother for help.

“When I lost Jayden, I felt empty. I felt defeated. If I had any chance of being a real mom to Jayden, I knew I had to get myself right. Jayden’s grandmother agreed to take care of him while I got clean,” Bolin said.

She returned to the one place she felt safe, strong and supported. She returned to LifeSource. Two weeks later, she found she was pregnant.

“When Kristin returned, she seemed to be laser-focused on being a mom to her children and, not only getting them back, but being the best mom she could possibly be,” said Robin Ladner, founder and director of LifeSource.

For her work in recovery, Bolin received an outstanding example of recovery award — one of two LifeSource has ever distributed.

“She became a role model to lots of other ladies who are trying to get their children back and succeed in recovery,” Ladner said. “The things that she has learned in recovery will enable her to be a great mom to her children. She has a relationship with God, which she will be able to pass along to her two little boys. She has learned things through recovery classes and parenting classes that will give them a strong foundation and her ability to maintain lifelong recovery will break the generational cycle of addiction.”

On March 13, after graduating from LifeSource, completing probation, landing a job, finding a car and securing housing, Bolin, who is 16 months sober, regained custody of Jayden.

“I worked for 14 months to get him back and he is finally home with me and JJ,” Bolin said. “I am so grateful for his grandmother and her support. She is one of my biggest cheerleaders. We talk every night.”

Bolin’s support system also includes her mother, Ladner, the women at LifeSource and the members of Life Church in Hartselle.

On Sunday, Bolin, Jayden and JJ will attend a dinner and egg hunt hosted by a woman from LifeSource.

“You know, I believed in God growing up, but I didn’t know him. We never went to church and now it is something I look forward to every week,” Bolin said. “Getting to know the Lord and walking in his path has been truly a blessing. I have learned so much about myself and who I can be as a person. I love where I am at today. I’m not happy about the choices I made, but I’m happy where I am and the example I can be for my sons.”

— cgodbey@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2441.