“To be fully seen by somebody, then, and be loved anyhow—this is a human offering that can border on miraculous.”  ~~Elizabeth Gilbert  “My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return.” ~~Maya Angelou “To be deeply loved, means a willingness to cut yourself wide open, exposing your vulnerabilities…hopes, hurts, fears and flaws.  Hiding behind the highlight reel of who you are, is the real you and that person is just as worthy of love.  There is nothing more terrifying or fulfilling, that complete love, it’s worth the risk…reach for it.”  ~~Jaeda DeWalt Statement #10  “All love given returns."   I am learning to know that I am loved." Sobriety and Statement #10 in action are essential to accepting and feeling love in my New Life.  In the past, I accepted the love I felt I deserved, which was often unhealthy and abusive.  I was drawn to drama, uncertainty and often lived on the edge.  Over time, this created a cycle of emotional pain which I attempted to soothe with alcohol.  This ever-temporary solution evolved into deep feelings of desperation, shame and loneliness. The WFS Statements encourage a shift in thinking, and the action part of Statement #10 “I am learning to know that I am loved” is empowering and life- changing when applied daily.  Recalling my first glimpses of sobriety, I felt welcomed into WFS even though I felt I didn’t deserve this level of acceptance.  There were no hoops to jump through, no lectures or admonishments, just open arms and understanding.  This rekindled hope, and a new cycle of healing had begun.  The “Love” Statements can be difficult to practice, yet the results can move mountains.  In our WFS Program Booklet under Statement #10, a beautiful quote from Nancy Cross states “All recovery roads lead to the ability to love and be loved!” Nancy, who was a long-time member of WFS, felt love in her New Life and from this life-changing love, created our WFS Online Forum.  Nancy devoted her time, talents, and secured funding to make sure this aspect of WFS remained available to all women.  Love does make the world go around and around and around…..  Hugzzz Karen Hi 4C Women One of my favorite updates to the Statements is this one - I am learning to know that I am loved. I especially appreciate the various forms of how love is given and received as written in the updated Program Booklet. For so long I felt unlovable, disconnected because I was not in what I thought was the real definition of love - a couple. Just to see in writing the many ways love can be expressed means the world to me. I do experience love from friends, family and any adorable animal I encounter. Because of my allergy to animal dander, I am sadly required to be pet deprived without wanting to be.  Whenever I get a chance to give and receive love from another person's pet, I do it. Hand washing is a must afterwards but so worth the love given and received.   I believe my biggest obstacle in receiving love was that I didn't love myself.  I often silently say these words after "I am learning to know that I am loved" ... "and it begins with loving myself."  I was my own worst critic and it took a long time to see myself in a loving light. That change created a pathway to accept and believe that others loved me. I learned that while I did not love my actions or behavior when I drank, those were the end result of my choice of coping skills and not my identity. Learning healthy coping skills created the beginning of self-love, self-acceptance and self-worth.   Here is an excerpt from 40 lessons learned along the way for finding strength in hard times: You must love yourself too. One of the most painful things in life is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much and forgetting that you are special too. When was the last time someone told you that they loved you just the way you are, and that what you think and how you feel matters? When was the last time someone told you that you did a good job, or took you someplace, simply because they know you feel happy when you're there? When was the last time that 'someone' was YOU? Something to think about.  Bonded, 4C WFS Member  Don't miss this workshop at the 2018 WFS Annual Weekend Conference! June 8-10 in Center Valley, PA Creating Movement Forward From the moment we took our first breath of life as an infant, up to this very day, we each have been influenced by our individual experiences. The joys and heartache that we have experienced shape us. The challenges we endure create depth. Our individual experiences create growth that, understood, will uniquely move each of us forward. Yet many don’t welcome the power of movement within their own life stories. Most of us have an innate ability to identify all of the difficulty we’ve experienced within our lifetime, but we are challenged to pinpoint how difficulty offers the opportunity to move us forward. Perhaps this is why we get ‘stuck,’ why we have trouble letting go of the past and can’t recognize our continued growth. The truth is, movement forward is the consequence of personal effort. Consider this workshop your active beginning to create movement forward! What to expect: We will discuss how welcoming the past, present, and future experiences into our lives with a renewed perspective can impact their outcome. Why our willingness to relentlessly participate with our life experiences offers greater insight into their multitude of layers. Personally revisit some of our individual experiences that have created positive movement forward. Participants will share: Stories and insights with a little fun role-playing Intention setting Good heart-felt laughter Personal journaling exercises Opportunities to renew your mind and create movement forward! Dannielle A/D (Peer Presenter) - Dannielle (‘D’) is an enthusiast for life with a passion to inspire, offer hope, ignite bravery and become a catalyst for women to live with greater intention. Founder of “beyouandthrive.com” and “The Practice of Living as We Intend” podcast, ‘D’ shares insight, personal stories and experiences that offer empowering practices to refine how we ‘think, do and become.’ Dannielle has a unique background; spanning the boardroom where she was the Creative Director for a global aviation company, to an entrepreneurial role at her farm, where she enjoyed practicing agriculture. Now residing in Chicago, her passions include travel with her husband, nature, her dog Miss Sofia and all things creative.  More Information Register Today 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  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌

Women for Sobriety, Inc. | P.O. Box 618, Quakertown, PA 18951-0618 | About our service provider Sent by contact@womenforsobriety.org

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News-Impact-Advocacy   March 3, 2018 This month we will focus on harm reduction principles which are the foundation for Monitored Consumption Facilities/Safe Injection sites, Naloxone and other pathways to addressing Substance Use Disorders. We will also focus on advocacy Issues our groups want to address.  You can register  on Eventbrite for  Upper Bucks, Lower Bucks and  Philadelphia   Forward this email STAY CONNECTED

The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc., 4459 West Swamp Road, Doylestown, PA 18902 Forward this email || About our service provider Sent by nwest@councilsepa.org in collaboration with Try it free today

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C4 Announces Special Guest Speaker Essential Partnerships in Justice Programs: A Sense of Urgency Tuesday, March 6, 8:15-8:45 a.m. Elinore McCance-Katz, MD, PhD Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Dr. McCance-Katz will describe the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) commitment to early diversion from the criminal justice system to community treatment and recovery for people with mental and substance use disorders. Drawing on her professional experience and legislated efforts around serious mental illness and substance use disorders, particularly the opioid crisis, she will call for a renewed effort to develop essential partnerships and shared strategies among law enforcement, first responders, and behavioral health and health system community providers. Included in her presentation will be a discussion of federal collaborations to reduce criminalization and enhance treatment efforts.

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Join us for the 5th Annual AXIS Golf Tournament at the TPC Sawgrass.

Hotel and Travel Reserve your room now at the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa. Click here to begin the reservation process. Room block ends February 9. C4 Events also offers a discount on Delta flights to AXIS. Learn more and get the code here.

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