Recovery. Sobriety. Living Wise.
Life without parole is a sentence we all share. I became aware of this fact in my early days of sobriety. I never fully understood the real meaning of “I have your back” until I learned from those who had been incarcerated the abject necessity of having “back saving” friends. Prison is not the place to be without such friends. Alliances are formed with others … Continue reading Embrace Your Life
I have a friend who has unsuccessfully battled alcoholism for many years. He has spent months in treatment centers, hours upon hours in counselling, and extended stretches in a 12-Step program. All to no avail. Invariably, he returns to the bottle and self-imposed exile, to the despair of friends and family. Addiction is often wrapped in isolation and loneliness. Addiction becomes a monster, cunning, baffling and powerful. When the … Continue reading Borrowing Light From Another
Have you ever experienced an event so broken that the past and future became so tightly bound it became impossible to have a … present? A moment so broken that time stands still and memories don’t mend? Moments like these can shape our outlook on life and rob us of our happiness. Broken memories can create a pattern of negative thinking and behavior forever driving us into … Continue reading Accepting a Broken Past
I wonder sometimes what kind of friend I am. Will I show up when it really counts? What effort am I really ready to make to sustain a friendship? Am I just a fair weather friend? Then I came upon this story. Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an … Continue reading Why Is Encouragement So Powerful?
I have been thinking about the importance of storytelling. In her book, Hope in the Dark, Rebbeca Solnit addresses the “untold histories” behind major social change. She says, “Changing the story isn’t enough in itself, but it has often been foundational to real changes.” She goes on to add, “Some activists are afraid that if we acknowledge victory, people will give up the struggle. I’ve … Continue reading The Power of a Story (by Eileen)