“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” -Maya Angelou   “I think everyone should have the same anger towards the injustice that’s happening and the hatred that’s happening, and just fight it with love.” -Ellen DeGeneres   “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” -Martin Luther King, Jr. What our world is witnessing and experiencing recently can feel frightening and overwhelming. From social media to television, the images and reports of hatred and indifference can give rise to fear and insecurity, which for some, can be a trigger. Yet our world is also experiencing something even more powerful: love in action.        Love is in the peaceful crowds, walking together in solidarity. Love is in the open hand reaching out to help another, love is in the tender touch that soothes away pain and love is in the encouraging words that infuse light into darkness. Love is highly visible as a 19-year-old woman named Imani helped opposing supporters navigate through a yelling crowd. Instead of raising her voice, she raised herself and responded with love.        Love is a way of living that builds upon itself, growing in strength, changing the course of our world. We can reach for love and strengthen our foundation instead of reaching for judgment. Inviting depth and meaning to conversation with open listening can replace the superficial. Mindfulness and doing what is possible can replace ignorance and apathy.        WFS exists because of love. In our Program Booklet, Jean Kirkpatrick writes, “We are women reaching out to others by way of our new self-awareness, which tells us that we are amply capable of giving love and also able to receive it." -Hugzzz and with love, Karen Hi 4C Women,      I learned that loving myself was how I was able to let go of my fear of rejection. Years ago, before sobriety, I was an extreme people-pleaser and yearned for acceptance and respect, yet I didn’t have those feelings of worth for myself.      Through therapy and sobriety, I finally realized that the most important relationship was the one I had with myself. From that point on, it became easier to open up to receiving love because I had finally given it to myself. As a young girl, it seemed conceited, wrong and awkward to say I needed to love myself. Thank goodness I learned how untrue this type of thinking was and became my own best friend.      My only measure of love was the romantic kind, having to be “in” love. Having only one measure of love to fill up my empty love tank really hindered my awareness of the love that surrounded me. As I have gained emotional growth, I know that there are many types of loving relationships that can include family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, WFS sisters - the list is endless. Not being a people-pleaser any more, I spend my time and energy nurturing loving relationships rather than working hard at getting people to love me or even like me. And there is a big difference between people-pleasing to be loved and caring about others, doing for them out of that bonded relationship.      Love yourself, love others, free yourself from the fear of rejection, learn to trust yourself and others and let that be the way to fill your heart, your soul and your spirit. -WFS Member Women for Sobriety, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your Donations Help Support WFS's Ongoing Services. Thank you! 100% of your donation reaches WFS and contributes to our mission. Buy or Sell Items on Ebay and Help Support Women for Sobriety.REMINDER: We have a few items UP FOR AUCTION NOW (Click on EBay logo on the right) and many more will be listed during our EBay Fundraising Event October 6 - 15. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, Amazon donates to WFS. Check out Women for Sobriety's Blog Site. If you received this from a friend, we welcome you to JOIN our email list. Copyright © Women for Sobriety, Inc. | All rights reserved | Federal ID # 23-1972763 Email: contact@womenforsobriety.org | Ph: 215-536-8026 | Fax: 215-538-9026 http://womenforsobriety.org | http://www.wfscatalog.org

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My Daughter Died From an Overdose. I’m Sharing Her Story to Help Others. by Michelle Schwartzmier “Tell them my story.” My 20-year-old daughter Casey said these words to me not long before she died of an accidental heroin overdose on January 15, 2017. She said that if something were ever to happen to her, she’d want me to write an honest obituary about her struggles with addiction. I trembled at the thought of this. “I would want to help someone else. To make them feel less alone” she explained. “Even if it’s just one person.” About a week later, in our home — in the same room where we had tea parties and bedtime stories, slumber parties and mother-daughter nights with Snapchats and long talks — she overdosed. Now seven months later, as I walk through that room every day, memories of a little girl dancing with her younger brother and snuggling with her dog are overshadowed by images of CPR and tears. Casey overdosed sitting next to her packed suitcase. She was supposed to leave for rehab the next day. She wanted to try again, to make a better life, to live. She had hope. I had hope. Six days later it was over. She died in the hospital. The same hospital where I work as a radiology technician. It was time for me to keep my promise, to fulfill Casey’s last wish, and write her obituary with the transparency that we had discussed. So I did. Read More   DONATE Parent Toll-Free Helpline: 1-855-DRUGFREE drugfree.org © Partnership for Drug-Free Kids 352 Park Ave South | 9th Floor | New York, NY 10010   privacy policy | manage email preferences

TWELVE STEPPING WITH STRENGTH FROM SCRIPTURE

Step 3: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God.

Psalm 40 v 2 -He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet on a rock, and established my steps.

Miry - very muddy

Did you ever run in real deep mud? Most of us have and it was almost impossible to move in any direction! Getting out of the mud was even worse and pulling with all your might meant losing your shoes. Sounds a lot like addiction to me. Almost impossible to get out and you lose stuff trying to escape! Sometimes you get one foot out and the other one gets stuck. You try to run but you get stuck running in place because you can't get any traction. Sobriety for a little while and a slip and right into relapse.This without a doubt is the essence of addiction! The scripture verse is telling you how to get out of the mud of addiction. Surrender, Believe and Pray! God will not only pull you out, He will put you on solid ground and establish your steps.

By Joseph Dickerson/Recovery Connections  /Need Help email us recoveryfriends@gmail.com