30 07, 2017

Beautiful Truth

2020-11-11T15:25:46-08:00July 30th, 2017|Early Sobriety, Recovery Stories|0 Comments

      The big beautiful truth! Wow! It sounds so easy. There's some old adage about the "ugly truth of things." It's funny, but upon reflection, I find that there's nothing ugly about the truth. It's an old story that I have been replaying in my mind for years. The false story is this. That I'm not enough just as I am. That somehow if I act and do like others, I will be liked and accepted. That pretending to be something I'm not is way better than just being good ol' me. Growing up and into my early adulthood, I have been a chameleon like no other. Tell me how to dance, and I will dance for you. When I dated a cowboy, I became a cowgirl with a big belt buckle and ropers to match. When I dated an iron man, I became an athlete (even though [...]

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1 11, 2015

Sweet Soulful Sobriety

2020-11-11T15:25:47-08:00November 1st, 2015|Early Sobriety, Joyful Recovery, Recovery Stories|0 Comments

She was the problem. She was wild. I am not talking a little wild…I am talking wild to the core. She was so much fun. I just loved her, but she was the problem. It seemed that every time we got together, the cops were called and there was a ton of drama. Yes…she was the problem. We got off on being as crazy as possible, and I only recall memories of our time together with fondness. But deep down, I felt that if I distanced myself from her, I would distance myself from the craziness of alcoholism. I didn’t even realize that I was an alcoholic at the time. So, I walked away…somewhat consciously and somewhat unconsciously. Our lives diverged and we didn’t talk for many years. We didn’t have a falling out. We just simply migrated away from each other. We lived only a few short blocks from [...]

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21 10, 2015

I Choose to be Authentic

2020-11-11T15:25:47-08:00October 21st, 2015|Early Sobriety, Faith, Recovery Stories|2 Comments

  This article was written by Rene, founder of Love & Recovery, and first published on TinyBuddha.com. Click on the link to read the full article, Why We Need to Share Our Honest Feelings. She hurt my feelings. She was leaving soon to live in another country for up to six months. I knew that if I held on to my hurt, this resentment would fester, and my best friend would be the recipient of my anger. I prayed for courage to find the right words. I didn’t want to hurt her. I knew I had to say something or I would allow my hurt to manifest into something huge. The courage came, and I acted immediately. I dialed; my heart pounded. I was so afraid. She answered. The lump in my throat made me silent. I began to weep. I gently uttered, “I’m calling to tell you that you [...]

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13 09, 2015

I Am Not Built For The Streets

2020-11-11T15:25:48-08:00September 13th, 2015|Early Sobriety, Recovery Stories|2 Comments

He wasn’t meant to live on the streets. He was raised in an upper-middle class family. He grew up in a nice home and he had nice things. He is gifted with wonderful talents. He sings beautiful melodies with a deep baritone voice. He writes his own lyrics—thought-provoking and soulful stories set to his original tracks. He is an artist and words are his medium. He went to college on a baseball scholarship. Boy, could he pitch! Did I mention that he is talented? An athlete, an intellectual, an artist. He also is a loner. He loves philosophy and gets frustrated with the mundane. He is brilliant and recites verses out of the Bible as well as studies the fundamentals of various other religious beliefs. He loves nature and animals. He is vegan and literally will not kill an ant or any other living creature. And, did I mention that [...]

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2 08, 2015

Recovery: The Gift of the Present

2020-11-11T15:25:48-08:00August 2nd, 2015|Early Sobriety, Meditation|0 Comments

Five tips for staying in the moment I founded Love & Recovery as a place to find beautiful gifts and inspiration for people in recovery. One of the greatest gifts any of us can give to ourselves and to others, is the gift of our full attention, our presence. Have you ever noticed that the more idle time you have, the more havoc your thoughts can create? I’m half tempted to throw in a little smiley face to say I’m kidding, but really…I’m not. Recently, I have had a lot of time on my hands. And, with that time comes a very active mind and imagination. Random thoughts of fear, catastrophe, grandeur and glory race through my head all day long … if and when I give them free reign. I trust that God always has a plan for us. And right now, I feel His plan for me is [...]

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27 05, 2015

Look for the Light

2015-07-26T22:02:26-08:00May 27th, 2015|Early Sobriety, Faith, Recovery Stories|0 Comments

I'm sitting in traffic on Pacific Coast Highway gazing at the ocean and remembering the dark days that came with the city of Santa Monica from 2010 to 2012. I loved it here during that time. I was a tiny little speck among millions of people. No one knew my name, and I could slip into any one of thousands of liquor stores that are on every corner in Los Angeles. I was anonymous and could dive into my oblivion, and then spend my nights at that wretched apartment that sat high above the Pacific Ocean  and overlooked the Santa Monica Pier. It was such a dichotomy. A beautiful view from a cluttered, dark mess. And there I would stand, looking out of the window with my best friend vodka and I would think how great life was. I enjoyed being unknown in my last years of drinking, so I [...]

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