Sunday, October 5, 2014

Monday
October 6, 2014


Life on Life's Terms

I believe
Julie stayed clean and sober for the next month, completing treatment.  Nobody seemed more surprised than Julie.
"Do you believe I'm still clean?" she asked after her last group session.  "Can you believe I haven't smoked in almost two months?"
"I'm happy for you," I said.  "I'm happy for the twins too."
"Did Krista tell you I haven't missed a doctor's appointment since I got pregnant?  Did she?  I can't believe it.  I have been on time at each and every one of my prenatal appointments.  Can you believe it?"
"You've made me a believer."
"I finally believe, with a lot of help, I can do whatever I need to do for the babies and me."  She started to tear up, and then she cried, until finally she broke into sobs.  "Everybody but Darren told me I was stupid, or silly, or just crazy.  I never believed him because everyone else disagreed with him.  Now I know he's right, I can do so much more than I thought I could." 
"What made you believe in yourself?" I asked.
"I went a whole day without smoking. Not smoking made me believe. A little belief made me think I could do more."


Today I will remember action can spark belief, belief can ignite action.
Life on Life's Terms © 2014 by Ken Montrose

Other Greenbriar publications can be found at:


Upcoming  Trainings

Suicide, Violence, Mental Illness, & Addiction
October 8, 2014 at Kerr Presbyterian Church in Verona
9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m
$50 payable in advance, at the door, or by invoice after the training

This five hour training is accredited for:
  • Addiction Counselors by the Pa. Certification Board
  • Nurses by the PSNA #101-1-O-14
  • Counselors by NAADAC #477 and NBCC #6352
  • EAPs by the Employee Assistance Certification Commission
  • Social Workers by the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work.

To register, please visit our website greenbriartraining.com or send an email to: kmontrose@greenbriar.net


Other Blogs

AArdvarks, a daily messages blog about a group of young people in recovery, can be found at: https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/7120910-wuss-in-boots


RPG

Needy
"The Boss is on line one," Cindy Rella announced.  Rella wasn't her real last name.  She hadn't poured coffee on me when I gave her that nickname, so I continued to use it.
"Hi Boss," I said, "Did you change your mind about sending me to that conference in Boca Raton?"  The conference was being held at a luxury beach resort.  Sleet pouring from a bitter gray Pittsburgh sky was stinging my window.  Going to sunny Boca Raton would have appealed to me if the conference was a demonstration of do-it-yourself tooth extraction.
The Boss laughed for almost a minute, "No.  I need you to run a relapse group for people who've been to rehab more than twice.  I really, really don't need you to spend $3,000 of company money to attend a conference on addiction and handedness."
"OK, but when we get a rush of addicted lefties, don't come running to me," I said.  Deep down I was glad for the chance to help people struggling to find recovery.  

Today I will be grateful for any chance to help people.


RPG: Relapse Prevention Group © 2014 by Ken Montrose

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