~ UNITY ~
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Separate reeds are weak and easily
broken; but bound together they are
strong and hard to tear apart.
The Midrash, Judaic Text
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For most of my life before coming into
the program, I was a bit of a loner. I
never had a lot of friends, perhaps
because of my feelings of inadequacy,
and was never good at sports, especially
team sports. So I buried myself a lot in
books, in academic achievements at which
I excelled, mainly because I could do
that on my own. I lived in a fantasy
world where a knight in shining armor
would come and rescue me, and my life
would then be perfect. I had never even
had a serious long-term relationship
until I met my first husband, so it was
hardly surprising that I made a bad
choice and after having three children
and much heartache, got divorced.
When I first came into program, it was
the first time I had ever felt part of a
big group, and most importantly they all
spoke my language. Their experiences
were my experiences. These wonderful
people became my family. There was, and
still is, for me an incredible sense of
belonging in the fellowship. No longer
do I have to brave it on my own as there
will always be someone on the other end
of the line or in a meeting who can
identify and share with me what I am
going through. The strength that I feel
when I come into the meeting rooms or
speak to a fellow member on the phone is
a powerful sustaining force for me that
has helped me through countless
difficult situations and continues to do
so.
ONE DAY AT A TIME . . .
I only need to reach out and join hands with others in the fellowship to gain the strength to do things I could never do before. It is only with their help, support and love that I am fully able to recover.