Table of Contents
Preface
Where Can You Begin? Begin with Your Heart
Beginnings
You Are the Sculptor and the Stone
1 Trust Your Inner Guide: My Story
Jill Muehrcke is a writer and editor who began her recovery journey in 1984. Since then, she has collected resources and exercises to help herself and others enlarge their horizons and craft joyful lives. Those lessons are woven throughout this book, and she shares her story here.
Words of Wisdom and Light
2 Connect to the Earth: Shelly’s Story
Shelly Dutch quit using cocaine in 1983. Twenty years later, she started Connections Counseling Center, a clinic for recovering addicts and alcoholics. This chapter shows how she prevailed through multiple addictions to find hope and peace. Her journey is about her discovery of personal growth and purpose in life, one day at a time.
Words of Wisdom and Light
3 Humbly Ask for Help: Adam’s Story
Adam’s life revolves around recovery. A forty-year-old recovering alcoholic who has been sober for seven years, he believes he owes his life to lessons learned from support groups and dogs. He summarizes those lessons here. To remain anonymous and honor his first “sober dog,” he elected to use Gunnar’s photo rather than his own.
Words of Wisdom and Light
4 Make Yourself Happy: Skye’s Story
Thirty-one-year-old Skye, who began her recovery from heroin, cocaine, and crystal meth addiction eight years ago, is a counselor at Connections, working toward her master’s in mental health. Her most fervent wish is to help others learn what it means to wake up happy every day.
Words of Wisdom and Light
5 Just Connect: Shyloh’s Story
Shyloh, the author’s twenty-three-year-old granddaughter, gave up heroin three years ago. Since then she has relapsed and once again recovered. She believes that addiction can be a blessing, and so can relapse, as she explains in this chapter.
Words of Wisdom and Light
6 Courage Doesn’t Always Roar: Andrea’s Story
Andrea, the author’s daughter, quit drugs in her twenties. But only recently, in her forties, did she begin confronting the problems caused by her drug use and exploring the underlying issues. While she says she has “no answers” and is uncomfortable giving advice, she has a powerful story to tell.
Words of Wisdom and Light
7 Make room for Miracles: Marilyn’s Story
Marilyn and the author are close friends who met early in their recoveries. Sixty-three-year-old Marilyn quit drinking in 1983 and began an odyssey of self-discovery that continues today. Here are her hard-won keys to serenity and fulfillment.
Words of Wisdom and Light
Summary
What Works and What Doesn’t
Conclusion
Never, Never, Never Give Up
365 Steps on Your Journey
Here is a strategy for every day of the year to help keep you on your path. Remember, that’s all you need to do – take one small step every day. Each one will take you closer to a new life.
Appendix
Resources to Guide and Inspire You
Index to Tips, Exercises, & Resources
A Note of Thanks
