The day I came into Harbor House is the day my life began. I made it here through DIVINE INTERVENTION after a drunken stupor and another battle lost to alcohol. I cried that morning. I cried for my Momma whom I lost to alcoholism. I cried for my daughter who never had a mother and I cried for myself for I had become nothing. I had run out of hope as did my family. I called Harbor House that day and asked for help. That weekend had to be the most lonely and prayerful time of my life. On Monday, my daughter smiled and said, "Momma, Ms Deb called and she has a bed for you". That was nine months ago and I am now working on a healthy legacy for my family to follow. I have grown up in this house. I have learned to be a lady, a parent, a daughter and a friend. THANK YOU HARBOR HOUSE. The best way I can show my gratitude is to stay on this path.

I wanted to get sober for a long time. I didn't know how to handle life's stressors without being under the influence. I felt I was beyond help. I was tired of keeping my family upset and wondering if they would see me on the news some night. I wanted to make a change but I was afraid to go without the drugs and alcohol. I finally made the decision to go into treatment and I came into Harbor House. I have found hope and I've learned about having patience, tolerance and structure in my life. I now know how to deal with stress without drugs. I learned how to pull the roots out and go within to become a whole woman. I work with a sponsor and communicate with a support group to share where I am one day at a time. I am a senior resident and I volunteer much of my time as well as attend classes at the Business Technology Center to become an administrative assistant some day. I am looking forward to having my own housing soon and becoming the best sober grandmother, mother, daughter, sister and aunt that I can be.

The biggest change I have made since entering Harbor House is in my thinking. I have come to realize that there is nothing I can do to change my past except not repeating it in the present. I am breaking out of the unhealthy and unsatisfactory patterns of the past by going to AA meetings and practicing the principles of the program. I have also learned to look at my life as being built with layers of little everyday accomplishments. My relationship with my family has improved especially with my mother. I have also improved my assertiveness and self-esteem. Living at Harbor House has taught me what gratitude truly means. When I am going through a "storm" I realize there is a lesson to be learned and I am grateful. Without my gratitude for life and this program, I probably wouldn't have stayed this long. Now, is it possible to have gratitude for gratitude?