HodgePodge

Hodge Podge by Clemon Hodge is a compilation of journal entries, short pieces and poems; Clem's life and writings over a 40-year time span. This is the final book of a trilogy. The first book, Dogpatch, a place I remember, focused on the first 20 years of Clemon's life. The second book, Goodbye Goliath, covers age 20 to 42.
The first book focused on Clem's growing-up years, how poverty and the loss of a loving grandmother led to a lifestyle full of alcohol/drug addiction. The pain of those years fed feelings of abandonment, anxiety and fear, all leading to the many unhealthy choices outlined in his second book.
HodgePodge is mainly focused on his recovery years. There are a few pieces describing complications of Clem's mid-teen years and a few journal entries made just prior to his entering treatment. But the bulk of HodgePodge covers the time following Clem's 30-day inpatient treatment for alcoholism. He spent six months at a halfway house and a year serving as Director's Assistant at Camp Agape, a spiritual retreat camp near Newark, Ohio. HodgePodge then focuses on the gifts of love, esteem, friends and family that have graced his later years.