A Story From The Women's Shelter

Mary, whose name has been changed to protect her confidentiality, is a true story that I hope will inspire you as it has inspired me. Mary, like other alcoholics, had a long history of crashing and burning in all areas of her life. She had burned relationships to DUI’s and everything in between. When I met Mary, she was over a year into her recovery program and fully realizing the impact of almost 30 years of loss. She had lost her thriving business and the ability to see her daughter and granddaughter and she had lost herself. Mary, with her new eyes of sobriety, surveyed her world and saw she had nothing except her will to stay sober and her hope that living at the shelter would help her to find a job, a life, some hope for a future. Mary had a year in our shelter program, went to Church on Sunday and had established a healthy network of friends through the shelter and her AA group. On the negative side, she had no transportation, no driver’s license without paying cost prohibitive fines and no job possibilities. Mary also had physical complications due to back problems and a stroke that left her heart weak. Bad credit, less than perfect driving record, and no job prospects in a year of trying, Mary asked me to try and help her. I asked God to help me and I always believe He will. Mary’s strengths were her honesty, her ability to get along with all types of people, her spiritual foundation, and her will to survive. She has always been a very hard worker.

I immediately looked in the classified section of Mt Express. I read about a job that seemed a perfect fit for Mary. A middle aged woman needed a companion who recently had a stroke and had traumatic brain injury. She was able to do for herself but she needed prompting. The job would pay a fair monthly salary and free room and board. I called and spoke with the woman’s sister. Mary went on three interviews including an interview with the companion’s mental health therapist. One interview asked very difficult questions about Mary’s past and she was so honest. I was so proud of her. Mary had the perfect job except she need to have a car for transportation to drive the companion to her appointments. I called Rev. Scott around Christmas and asked him if he had a vehicle recently donated. He said yes but it needed some work. Mary’s past life job included car repairs and she was able to be the recipient of a gently used car. She could now accept the perfect job, with a wonderful companion and new friend, feeling useful, making money, newly independent and able to get her license renewed and fines paid. She lives in a beautiful apartment with her own room and all the privacy she wished for. Mary still comes by the shelter every week to see her friends and spread the gospel of hope. And her hope spreads because miracles do happen here.

Barbara Collins, LPC., LMFT

Director

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