When asked 'What do YOU do to keep the Wild Beast of Addiction away from you?' the answers fell like a litany of graces

 
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When asked 'What do YOU do to keep the Wild Beast of Addiction away from you?' the answers fell like a litany of graces: They included:
I pray.
I exercise...and pray.
I go to counseling.
I attend NA and AA Meetings.
I read.
I find people to talk to.
I appreciate what I have and remember what it was like NOT having that.
I stay busy.
I make myself stay positive.
I come to this circle.

Keep. Coming.Back.

 

This morning at MaineWorks THIS is what it felt like. Alive. Full of possibility.

 
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This morning at MaineWorks THIS is what it felt like. Alive. Full of possibility. By 5:15 AM the fire was made, the coffee was brewing the parking lot was being sanded by hand.
(Thank you Erik with a K: )
There was food. There were new coats being distributed. There was vitality. Amidst all the challenges and the obstacles they show up with this spirit. I hope the world is watching their work, their awakening, their choice.
This smile? Was the gift that had enough energy to charge my day.

 

This is our current MaineWorks fire starter, Erik.

 
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This is our current MaineWorks fire starter, Erik. Every weekday morning he leaves his sober house around 4 AM.
He walks to MaineWorks, maybe a mile and a half or so, and says that time clears his head a bit. Perhaps a walking meditation of sorts.
By 5:15 AM he's got the fire organized and underway. He uses a minimum of material to get the flame established favoring a bit of discipline and care rather than propellants. It starts quietly and he builds this lovely lotus blossom arrangement of firewood around it so as to dry them just a bit further. Then as the fire gains some stability he begins to fold those pieces in toward the center creating a tent for the fire and successfully providing fuel. I often see him preparing for the next days fire. Stashing some dry wood away here or there to secure a good start.
His practice is beautiful. And steady. And a damn amazing metaphor for recovery. We appreciate all the levels of warmth and light he contributes. Thank you, Erik.

 

James McKinney

 
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MaineWorks employee showing up routinely? Demonstrating efforts to change toward wellness? Then Maine Recovery Fund can step in and assist MaineWorks employees in overcoming obstacles to moving forward. Like obtaining eye care. Which is expensive and out of reach for many in early recovery.
Here's James, pretty happy to have received this assistance in obtaining contact lenses. Keep going James, and thank you Maine Recovery Fund.

 

MaineWorks: Post circle many are waiting for transportation to the job site.

 
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MaineWorks: Post circle many are waiting for transportation to the job site.
MaineWorks can be found at the intersection of despair and hope. And this little circle weighs heavily on the side of hope. Hope is not always gregarious and chummy. Rarely does it whack you on the back in welcome, especially when the mad dog of addiction still sniffs at your heels. Hope can be quite innocuous and almost silent. It can emerge as some sense of traction. Some forward movement no matter how simple. Hope can be found in the grace of simply showing up, especially in early recovery.
And we flock toward the light and warmth of that understated whisper.
This circle defines that rim, that edge between the darkness of despair and the light, even if it is wobbly and weak, of hope.

 

Proud of you Steve Lawrence.

 
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Proud of you Steve Lawrence.

Former MaineWorks employee and friend Steve Lawrence joined us at todays circle at 6 AM in the snow. His journey has been, like many others, torturous, agonizing and tough.
And today he shared this smile. Born of making an amends, a difficult one, that then led to a donation to Maine Recovery Fund that directly assists MaineWorks employees.
Standing in that circle you could feel that awful reckoning and that profound relief and the joy of that unexpected generosity. That his painful amends led to a direct giving to the circle of employees he had emerged from. A story of giving back achieved when he least expected it. Congratulations on your personal journey and your truth telling. You are a Pioneer of Recovery and MaineWorks thanks you.