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July 18, 2008

When Jade came in she had just left a very expensive facility saying that they did not have what she wanted.  One weekend after she arrived here she also made that same decision about UGM's Lydia Home, but this time neither her parents nor her boyfriend would come to pick her up and, in fact, made it clear she would not be welcome if she came back in the same condition as she’d left.  Well, then she stayed and what a delightful participant she turned out to be once that was all settled!
Jade J. says:  "Before coming to Lydia Home my quality of life was completely miserable.  I did not really know how to take care of myself and really needed help to figure things out.  But, I could not see that when I first arrived at Lydia Home.  

However, in time my faith and my relationship with God strengthened so much that I was not at all what I once was.  I am very excited about this.  So many possibilities now!

I cannot express in words the gratitude I feel for this recovery home, for the girls I have met and most of all, for the staff.  I am truly blessed to have had them all as part of my journey.  All I can say is, thank you, from my heart."

And here are some tearful words from Jacquie H.  When we received her application she had so many medications listed and had been on so many addictive drugs that we thought it over most carefully.  Well, here was another trophy for the Lord, we took a chance and did it ever pay off.  Having been on drugs from a very early age until her 50s did not make for a clear head. We gave her one month for the mists to clear, and we were off and running.  She accepted the Lord into her life and has strong support from a daughter who herself has never even smoked a cigarette.  The loving staff at Jacob’s Well were quite involved in her coming out here too.  

Here goes: "Just before coming to Lydia Home my world came to a crashing halt.  Drugs had taken over my whole being and had also taken my son John’s life.  We were in active addiction together and he overdosed and passed away in January of this year.

I did learn that most important lesson of all at Lydia Home that God would help me through the process of my recovery and my grief.  I was able to learn how to build self-esteem, which was hugely missing in my life, and I also found that I loved structure in my life.  I also learned how to build boundaries and to stick to them.  Going through the relapse prevention part of the program showed me how to focus on my own recovery so I could live a drug-free life.

I need to go to grief counseling as well as more drug and alcohol counseling once I leave here.  Also need to go to AA and NA meetings and become part of a church.  I now have all the tools I need to enable myself to make more positive changes in my life.  I have been a drug addict for 35 years and am happy to say that I have now been four months clean and sober.  Hurrah! Only through the grace of God am I still alive and can be the parent and grandparent I should have been in the first place."'