Dear Friends,
As you see from the three candles on the cake below, we celebrated the third birthday of The Healing WELL last month. Last week we received this letter from one of our participants, and it reflects what your support has made possible. We are so grateful to you for your support.
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Dear Kathy and all the staff at The
Healing WELL,
I have been struggling for 30 plus years with alcoholism and addiction. My life had truly become unmanageable. My last relapse with alcohol cost me my job, my housing, and negatively impacted my health. I was on a really bad downward spiral when I decided that the time had come for me to get honest with myself, and get back into recovery. The first step towards that was to get back into a residential treatment program, which I’m getting ready to graduate from. My counselor recommended that I look into
the programs at Healing WELL.
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To see more photos of The Healing WELL birthday party, please visit our
Facebook page.
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I’ll never forget the first time that I walked into your place; I was nervous about meeting new people, and unsure what to expect. A lovely, warm woman greeted me at the door, Sister Katie. She has continued to offer that caring and love every time I see her. She has remembered my name from the very first time we met. The yoga, 12-Steps, Tai Chi and Spiritual Life Discussions have helped me take care of my body, and get in touch with myself and my own concept of spirituality, and cope with the struggles in my life. They have helped me so much.
I’ve been a little stressed about where I’m going to end up after I graduate from the program I’m in. Having a safe space to talk about this has been invaluable. At the end of one of the 12-Steps meetings, one of the other participants asked if I’d heard about a particular housing program. I told her that I had been informed that there were no beds available. An alumni, she got on her phone, spoke to the program director, who told her that my counselor needed to call him. I ran home, and within ten minutes of the call, I had received a faxed intake form. I still don’t know what will happen, but because I was there, at The Healing WELL, I am now on their waitlist.
The support and kind words that I have received at Healing WELL have been crucial to my continued recovery. I can’t imagine where else I could’ve received the help that I get there everyday. The Healing WELL has become an integral part of my recovery, and, as I look to the future, it will continue to be part of what is keeping me strong, and moving forward. Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Scott
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In late May we hosted a training on facilitating meditation sessions. Our volunteer, Anne Koller, taught various breathing techniques, instructed us on how to prepare the body for meditation, and gave tips on guiding people into a safe and relaxed state. Some of our participants are now leading Meditations at The Healing WELL and in the broader community. We look forward to the follow-up.
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An Evening with Poet Christine Rogers
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Pictured to the right are Healing WELL community members with our volunteer Poetry teacher, Christine Rodgers (who’s standing, third from the right, behind Sr. Katie O’Shea.) Recently, Christine shared her beautiful poetry with us and the St. Agnes parish community at the Ignatian Spiritual Life Center. Thanks for this great event, and the gift you bring to us for the Tuesday morning Poetry classes, Christine.
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In June we bid “adieu” to Joe Wotowa, who served with us this past year through the Jesuit School of Theology. Joe was a daily warm and gentle presence here, and helped lead our Spiritual Life Discussions and Poetry classes.
Beginning in the fall, Joe will serve at St. Agnes Parish as he pursues his formation as a Catholic priest. We look forward to his return visits to The Healing WELL.
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Sharing Our Wisdom: June and Adrienne
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One of our participants, June, led a compelling community forum on the Campaign to End the “Life Without the Possibility of Parole” sentence. Joined by her colleague, Adrienne, from the
California Coalition for Women Prisoners
, we heard context, facts and personal experiences about the need to end this “slow death sentence.”
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The bonfire crackles
as electric as my thoughts
The spirituality isn’t new,
perhaps that’s the point
Knowing too much so soon
may have left me overwhelmed
The fire still crackles,
sparks jumping inside & out
The moment is finally here
to answer for what I know
No longer can I pretend
that I’m not making an impact
The awareness crackles,
coming to life with me
The realization seems simple
because I care – about us all
Now I acknowledge the truth;
we were all lent to each other
Through the crackling
with sand at my feet
& an ocean my only view
I am reborn
as small as the grains
with ripples like an ocean
© Dorian Dorey 27 June 2018
Written during Healing WELL’s Writing Group from the prompt: an important event in our lives
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In our Tuesday Meditation with Art sessions, participants co-create these panels of art in an exquisite-corpse style exercise, meditating on each piece before contributing their portion of the drawing. Witness the beauty that comes when we share in the participation and creation of our art in our world!
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Donations by check, addressed to "The Healing WELL," are also welcome.
Please mail them to:
The Healing WELL
476 Eddy Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.
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The Healing WELL is a fiscally-sponsored project of Community Initiatives
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