No one is immune from addiction;
it afflicts people of all ages, races, classes, and professions.
--
Patrick J. Kennedy
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Sober Living Week to Week
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You are invited to our 3rd
First Sunday JUUST Lunch potluck
This Sunday, May 5th!
at 12:30
Taco Bar theme
bring something to share
(or just bring yourself!
there's always enough food!)
1629 Simms St., Lakewood, CO 80215
Best to park in the grassy lot on 16th.
or in the Lakewood Villa nursing home.
Please don't park in the American Legion lot.
See you soon!
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While we are shoring up needed infrastructure and securing funding for a successful start to the full JUUST Living vision (residents with a 2 year commitment to the community), we are able to put this building into the service of recovery in a different way.
We all know the challenges with the price of housing, and you might know the challenges with being early in recovery and needing supportive community. We are able to open our arms, in a model of extended family, in support for those who need sober housing. We are now offering dorm rooms, 2 beds to a room, for week-to-week sober living.
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Here are
Linda Barringer,
Kate Kyanne and I, working on
the application process for week-to-week
community members.
Behind us is the beautiful art piece painted by the youth here when the building housed the Gemini Youth Shelter.
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Here is the whole mural. A beautiful movement from the tears and challenges depicted on the left, moving from desolation to healing, awareness, growth, compassion, love.
The poetry on the tree of life (we find sacred texts everywhere!) asks:
Is the world ever changing
like everyone is saying? Does the
world keep spinning or are we hanging
or pending for everything to change
then arrange or refrain from drama,
rivalry, and despair. Is this what
we call HOME? Is the world
ever-changing? Why do we use and
abuse and name what's imperfection
We're all born with this infection
We're all born in this life and
it changes everyday and we
try to create a positive way ...
so I guess OUR
world is
ever-changing!
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Unitarian Universalist Principal #1:
The inherent worth and dignity of every person. This principal reminds us that no matter your past, your mistakes, or your faults -- you have worth and dignity as you work towards a life free of addiction.
The opposite of addiction is connection.
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Unitarian Universalist Source #3:
Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life.
Unitarian Universalism is inspired by a variety of religious sources to build communities that are diverse and beautiful.
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Gratitudes:
We remain a community of gift, of love, of volunteering, of really hard work and good thinking. Thank you so very much, to
- Mary Zinn, for her donations of furniture, kitchenware, office supplies, and myriad other beautiful and useful items, to make the JUUST Living space more like a home. This picture of the dining room includes her beautiful set of dinnerware, beautiful table and chairs, buffet, and more. Thank you Mary, and blessings on your new home!
- Andrea Druta, who hass great enthusiasm and energy for the upcoming JUUST Living culinary endeavors. Whether it involves a food truck or catering or community, if it involves food or a kitchen, Andrea is there to help, thank you, Andrea!
- Linda Barringer and Kate Kyanne, for their brilliant minds and good hearts, to work through the process for finding, interviewing and welcoming week-to-week sober living community members, thank you!
- Thank you to Reg Cox and Butch Lewis. Members of the wider Lakewood civic community, with hearts for helping, and committed to helping JUUST Living open successfully. Reg, thank you so much for your networking savvy, and connecting us to Butch Lewis. Butch, Executive Director of David's House Sober Community, thank you for sharing your very practical wisdom.
- Candice Fondal, on the JUUST Living Advisory Council, thank you so much for your sustained contributions to this emerging community. Especially interested in outreach and community partnerships, Candice has helped with congregational connections, interviewing, document creation and good thinking around the new week-to-week initiative. Thank you, Candice!
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What Do We Need This Week?
- Kitchen items:
- Soup bowls and salad bowls
- Serving utensils
- most of our kitchen is now fully stocked ... just a few more things needed here and there. :)
- Washer and Dryer!!
- Now, here is the scoop ... one of our community members, Shari, has a heavy-duty washer and dryer in Palisade, on the Western Slope, very near Grand Junction. She is willing to donate it, but we need to get it here. Does anyone have a truck big enough to bring them both? or could pull a trailer with them?
- I'm actually going to Utah on Tuesday, and will be driving back on Saturday. It's possible I could drive some vehicle back ...
- Any ideas? :)
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- GARDENERS!! We have such a beautiful opportunity here with the permaculture garden that produced hundreds of pounds of heritage tomatoes last summer. We've got lots coming in now, permaculture perennials: lovage (lots!), chives, onions, comfrey, oregano, currants.
- AND, we need lots of help, 'cause we've got lots of volunteer mulch as well.
- You see, in permaculture gardens, we don't have weeds, we have volunteer mulch. What is often seen as a weed is a hardy pioneer plant that has tremendous nutritional and medicinal value. We don't weed, we simply pull up the plants we don't want and place them right on the ground. They provide the nitrogen needed for a healthy soil system, so we don't need to provide amendments.
- This is a picture of lovage. It is a perennial similar in taste to celery. Andrea's Romanian soup she shared recently calls for lovage. We'll be drying it and creating herbal soup blends.
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Oregano to go, with the lovage, into the herb soup blend.
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Here's the beginning of our chard patch, with bonus parsley coming in!
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Dear ones, I keep thinking I will write longer pieces to you. This newsletter is long, but not a substantive article. I've had several Unitarian Universalists send me a
2015 Atlantic Monthly article, The Irrationality of Alcoholics Anonymous,
and I've wanted to address several aspects of it. Alcoholics Anonymous has come under fire from many fronts in this past decade, and a lot of the criticism is completely understandable. Perhaps we can plan a community conversation around it, here at JUUST Living ... on the patio, potluck supper, meaningful conversation. Perhaps.
I am not finding enough time for reflection, as I am shepherding this start-up. I am involved in much more 'ad-ministry' than I prefer: legalities, infrastructure, fundraising, insurance, facility issues. All part of life, all necessary. So much learning! I don't worry about my abilities to BE with folks we are supporting in recovery. And, I know that with the needed fundraising, we will be able to hire staff, and many of those ad-ministry burdens will be lifted from my shoulders.
Happily, I will say we are well on our way to having our own tax-exempt status. We remain so grateful to Living Systems Institute, the non-profit that is our fiscal sponsor (so all your donations ARE tax-deductible!). And, we have finished the first draft of the (non-trivial) application for our own 501(c)(3) status.
If you are in the area, I hope you will join us for JUUST Lunch potluck on Sunday!
May you feel the love that surrounds you this day
May the pulse of your heart feel the pull of this new moon
May your eyes be open to the stranger today
May your heart be open to the stranger today
May you befriend your body, in all its uniqueness
Breathe deeply, my friends
And again
And again
Breathe in
It is a miracle you are alive.
I love you,
Rev Ruth
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JUUST Living | 720.290.5715
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We are building congregational community, adjacent to the JUUST Living residential community for long-term healing and recovery from addictions in Lakewood.
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