As I sit in my office looking out the window at my corner of the world, I feel so grateful. How many people get to have an office where you look out and watch the trees budding out, hear all the song birds, and see turkey and deer grazing in the fields? It has been over a year since our world changed and we learned what a pandemic can bring. So many things changed in ways we never could have imagined. Every spring, I get this renewed sense of hope as Mother Earth bursts forth in all her beauty as she always does.
The other day I received this quote and would like to share it with you.
“When you arise in the morning think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love.” – Marcus Aurelius.
I have decided to keep this posted as there are certainly days I wake up and that is not my first thought. What a great way for me to remember how precious life is.
Being at Mahala’s Hope daily is another good reminder of how fragile and precious life is. Many of the women who enter our doors have experienced firsthand the death of a loved one due to addiction or overdose. Some have overdosed themselves. Yet we are witness to such joyous moments such as 30, 60, or 90+ days in recovery. The moments when their children can come to visit or when they were able to secure employment or housing. One of my favorites is when they celebrate their birthday here and they say it is their first one sober in a very long time. They begin to have hope that life can be different if they follow the path they have set forth on. It is not an easy path and does not come without struggles, but every day in recovery is well worth it. As a staff, we all feel blessed to be a little part of that journey.
May you be at peace.
May you be happy.
May you be safe.
May you be free from pain and suffering.
May you awaken to the light of your true being.
In deepest gratitude,
Sandy Hardie
