Thursday
November 6, 2014

Life on Life's Terms

Lesson from rainy day dogwoods

The next day the fluorescent lights strained to keep the dark and dreary outside from breaching my office window.  Looking a little past the parking lot, I noticed the dogwoods in full bloom.  The scene reminded me of the joy of seeing old friends at a funeral.  Darkness might be all around, but beauty lived in their familiar faces and shared times.

Today I will be grateful for whatever beauty I see through the darkness.

Life on Life's Terms (c) 2014 by Ken Montrose

Upcoming Trainings

Writing Treatment Plans, Group Notes, Workbooks, etc.

November 12, 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/7302710-addition-by-subtraction-two-days-later

RPG

Spread the wealth

At our next meeting Seal told the group her mother had stopped by to see her. Seal's mother had been so happy she couldn't stop crying.  "I never realized how much she suffered along with me while I was living with my abusive boyfriend," Seal said, wiping a tear from her eye.  "And I didn't change my life because of her.  To be honest my ex-boyfriend sorta drove my family away and I kinda forgot about them.  I can't tell you what a bonus it was to connect with them.  I'm so happy for my mother."

I thought about what a mess my life had been when I was drinking, and how many times I'd disappointed my family.  Then I remembered how things changed after I got sober.  We'd pull the big recliner closer to the fireplace.  My mother would warm her feet, our yorkie curled up in her lap, a contented smile on her face.  I had turned my life around for me, but as a result my mother found a place of warmth and contentment.

Today I will be grateful when things I've done for myself make other people happy.

Relapse Prevention Group © 2014 by Ken Montrose