Tashav
There was a feeling here in the house, a feeling of anticipation, that excitement of getting ready as the women ran around, getting their kilts on, putting on make-up. I guess that feeling never goes away, that whole ritual of getting ready.
In order to remain sober, I don't have to waive my rights to excitement and good times, to laughter and dance. It's definitely a different kind of a good time, though. This time will always be fun. Because I remained sober, I'll remember it for years to come. It's the first St. Patrick's Day I've shared with women who have experienced the same pain, suffering, and disease. We can put all that to one side and, instead, share smiles and laughter, as well as soda, pretzels, chips, and green cupcakes!
Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday was celebrated at New Hope in several ways. It was an emotional day, as the struggle for civil rights has many parallels in my own recovery.
A peer organized a house project, reenacting several key events in the life of Dr. King. One scene showed Rosa Parks, Rev. Ralph Abernathy, and Rev. King sitting next to white passengers after the victory of the Montgomery bus boycott. The final scene outlined King's famous "I have a dream" speech at the march on Washington. The project then concluded with everyone in the house joining hands and singing "We Shall Overcome," the stirring song of the liberation that embodies the fight for civil rights.
We then watched a documentary on King. He was a man who overcome many obstacles as a child and many more as an adult. For me, his love for humanity is nothing short of incredible. I have always turned to hatred when the climate demanded love. I have always come up with excuses for my behavior, yet blamed others for theirs. On the other hand, King's fight for freedom was guided by love and passive resistance. Hatred was met with love, violence with peace. (If I don't fight back, who are you fighting against?)
I am not black, and don't have to be, in order to understand the civil rights movement. My people were slaves in Egypt. I was a slave to my addiction. I am enslaved by attitudes that work against my growth and development. I hope to see the promised land of recovery one day.
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