She'll Get Through

Being a woman in recovery I have become much more aware of my journey.

I get wonderful opportunities to listen to God's quiet voice and act upon it.

A couple of years ago, I was having my quiet time and the phone rang. My husband asked me if I would be willing to go meet a young lady who might be ready to get sober. My first instinct was, "No, not really." But I agreed to go meet this woman. There wasn't anything spectacular about her story, but that's when God's quiet voice stepped in.

I offered this woman an opportunity to change her world, if she was willing. I told her that we had extra room in our home and if she was serious about getting sober, she could have a fresh start with us. She was pretty skeptical but agreed to consider the offer and keep in touch.

We were in the process of planning a 50th wedding anniversary for my in-laws so it couldn't happen right away. She kept her end of our bargain and stayed in touch with me consistently.

About two days before she was going to move in I started questioning my offer. My mind started assaulting me with "I don't even know this person!" and "What if?"

I decided that I would just trust the process and see what God had in store for all of us.

So Amber's mother brought her to our house and dropped her off with a heartfelt "thank you." She moved in and began her journey into recovery. We had already met with Amber and established some ground rules. The first rule was that if she wasn't sober, she didn't live here anymore. We gently led her through the process of how to change her world.

Amber is a single mother to a beautiful little girl who was 3 years old at the time. Amber hadn't been able to be a mother to her daughter with the lifestyle she'd been living, and this was another adjustment for her to make. Chloe, her precious daughter, was welcome at our home too. After a while they were able to spend more and more time together and re-establish their relationship.

Amber, who is rather skeptical by nature as well as a bit of a rebel in her own right, settled in to her new world. She adapted pretty well to the few things that we asked of her. The "rules" were few and simple. Stay sober, go to meetings and work on building a foundation for the rest of your life.

What everyone else looked at was what a generous gift we were giving to her. What I found out was what a wonderful gift I was given! Amber and I developed a friendship that is priceless to me. She is the same age as my oldest daughter, and I look at her daughter as the granddaughter that I haven't had yet.

Amber lived with us for about a year and a half and during that time she worked and went to school to start a new career. Amber lost her mother, Carol, unexpectedly one morning and she walked through that with grace and dignity. She has regained her self respect, her dignity, her family, and her life is rich and full today. She may not have everything she thinks she wants just yet, but she's well on her way!

I don't take credit for her sobriety in any respect. I just opened a door for her that she was willing to walk through and she has chosen to change her life. For my part, I am eternally grateful that I have the opportunity to make an impact on some lives along the way.

Amber has moved into her own apartment for the first time in her life and she is self supporting. She has provided a quality lifestyle for her and her daughter. She has every reason to be proud of the life that she lives today. Yet she finds herself at another crossroad in her life and I don't have any question that if she keeps doing what she's been taught that she'll get through this one just fine too.

I have all the faith in the world!

~ Trish ~

Trish is from California, and says, "I am a grateful woman in recovery, living a life beyond my wildest dreams. I'm happily married with two grown daughters, a fabulous grandson with a second grandchild on the way."

[ By: Trish, Copyright © 2008 -- {used with permission} ]