September is National Recovery Month. Isn't that an interesting thought? NATIONAL Recovery Month. Wouldn't it be something if every single one of us across the country was able to participate in this month of celebration? Afterall, aren't we all trying to recover from something? And aren't we all trying to recover something we have lost?
This month I had the honor and pleasure to offer "Words of Inspiration" to twenty women graduating from addiction and substance abuse as they embarked on a new beginning of sobriety and fresh hope. The local Women's Center dedicated to women's transformation, healing and recovery was packed with over 100 people in attendance to witness the graduation ceremony and welcome women of all ages back to themselves, their families, and their communities. Counselors and caseworkers, child welfare advocates, judges and probation personnel, police officers, mayors, and agency professionals all gathered to commemorate this momentous occasion.
This is the third time I have attended graduation services at the Women's Center and I have to say that it is the best day of the year for me. I like it better than Christmas and my own birthday. Each year that I have attended this remarkable event I get to see firsthand the power of transformation, the glory of reunion, and the unbridled healing of love. The connectedness that exists in that room is so palpable it penetrates every cell in my body.
There is a wonderful collective human spirit that rejoices when one of its own finally comes home, when one of its lost is found, and one of its wounded is healed. There was laughing, crying, singing, hugging, dancing, clapping, sighing, cheering, and downright glorious fun to feel that good with one's journey. The camaraderie and feeling of community is second to none. And each time I attend I am reminded of the work I still have to do in my own life...how I must continue to recover, rebuild, redo, rework, reclaim, restore, rebirth, and rediscover my true Self and create my own Life...
I usually come away with several key thoughts each time I attend this precious event:
That Love is the most powerful force in the Universe and that it is Love, not Time, which heals all wounds.
That inspiration can be found anywhere -- even in the eyes of a broken soul who is struggling, miserably failing, yet still willing to create her own salvation no matter how grueling that may be to do.
That anything is possible. Truly it is.
That courage must be cultivated - DAILY.
That the doorway to healing is hidden in the PAIN, waiting for us to use it to bust open our heart so that we can rebuild it again stronger and more sacred still.
That saving ONE LIFE often saves an entire FAMILY. And saving one family often saves MANY MORE - and so on until an entire community is reborn. That the people who work in the field of substance abuse treatment are indeed saving lives, saving families and saving communities. When I think of this, I am humbly reduced to tears of admiration.
That every action matters. It really does. Every action matters. Never doubt for a second that any kind thing you do is in vain. It is not.
That every woman is a WOMAN OF WORTH no matter how much she struggles or disappoints you.But most of all, I come away with the solid stand that EVERY WOMAN is capable of transformation, no matter what her circumstances, no matter what her background, her color, her educational status, her income, her faith or lack of it, or the depths of her pain. It matters not what others think of her. It matters not how society labels her. It only matters that she is capable of transformation...of reunion with her deepest and truest Self...of finding her way back.
These women in recovery are all role models for all of us. They are role models of sheer stamina, commitment to one's Self, survival, the most noble humility, and outstanding courage and bravery. No longer can I allow minor nuisances to annoy me and stun me and petty fears to stop me in my tracks. I must be strong and ever committed to a true reunion with my Self just like the women in recovery are that I met this month. Afterall, aren't we all trying to conquer our demons? Aren't we all trying to make our way in the dark? They are role models for me as I struggle to recover all that I lost, and all that is yet to be.
All this, and more, in a mere few hours on my favorite day of the year. To the women in recovery I say "You are not who you think you are. You are so much more." Thank you.
Let's all join in National Recovery Month -- let's all start working on finding what we have lost.
Photo Caption: Kendra Kett, second from left, celebrates National Recovery Month with the fantastic staff at the local Women's Services Substance Abuse Recovery Program.
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