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Recent Posts
Finding Healing from Abortion After Entering the Rooms of Recovery
| Abortion Healing, God, Grief & Loss, Spiritual Tools
For quite some time now, the Holy Spirit has been nudging me to write about a very sensitive and difficult subject—the pain and trauma caused by abortion. With God’s strength and courage, I pray that we as members of the CIR fellowship will join in deep prayer and...
Shifting Our Understanding from Surrendering to Yielding to God’s Will (Part 1)
| Addiction, Getting Sober, God
Every 12-step novice is familiar with the term “surrender” and its significance for finding recovery. However, as often as the word is used in recovery groups, the word itself does not appear in any of the Twelve Steps. I’ve spent decades in recovery and attended...
The Power of Surrender for Adult Children: Insights from Saint Joseph & Saint Thérèse for Step 1
| Adult Children of an Alcoholic, First Step, Help from the Saints, Saints—On Earth & in Heaven
In our journey of recovery, Step 1—“We admitted we were powerless over the effects of living with alcoholism and that our lives had become unmanageable”—stands as a beacon of self-awareness and courage for adult children of dysfunctional homes. Drawing wisdom from the...
What an Ancient Advent Tradition Teaches Us About Recovery
| General, Prayer, Prayer & Scripture Reflections, Spiritual Tools
I live in rural Pennsylvania, where most of my neighbors are farmers, and many of them are Amish. For those who don’t know, the Amish are Christians whose faith practices include eschewing modern transportation in favor of horse-drawn buggies. All of this means that...
Navigating Triggers: A Compassionate Approach for Adult Children of Dysfunction During the Holidays
| Adult Children of an Alcoholic, Loved One of an Addict, Spiritual Tools
The holiday season, often synonymous with family gatherings, can evoke a mix of joy and suffering for adult children of dysfunction. Past wounds may resurface, and triggers linked to family dynamics might cast shadows over the festivities. Below are a few key...
Wandering Home: Lessons from the Holy House of Loreto
| God
Step Three has been a tough one for many of us. In order to place ourselves in the care of God as we understand Him, we must trust not just a person but that Person’s process. Step Three calls us to trust that God knows not just what we need right now but that His...
3 Ways the Incarnation of Jesus Helps Disordered Eating Recovery
I could just eat that “one more bite.” It’s right here on the tip of my fork, ready and waiting, the perfect last bite to a delicious meal. It’s completely within my power to consume it, to get that “just one more” bite of deliciousness, because who knows when I’ll...
Embracing Grief and Spiritual Healing in Adult Child Recovery
| General
In our pilgrimage as adult children in recovery, we are met by an unwavering companion: grief. These emotions and processes are pivotal in healing from the wounds of our past, particularly in mourning the childhood that was stolen from us. As Catholics in recovery...
A Survival Guide for Maintaining Recovery During the Holidays for Compulsive Eating
Holidays can be a challenging time for those dealing with food addiction, compulsive eating and restricting, and other food-related challenges. Yes, you can still maintain your program through the holidays! But it will require planning, intentionality, and support....
What Is a Home Group and Why Do I Need One?
| 12-Step Meetings, Community, Getting Sober
I’ve heard it said that “Home is the place where you have to go, and they have to take you.” For many of us in addiction recovery, whether as addicts or their loved ones, there’s a lot of baggage around “having” to go home and “having” to be accepted there. So when we...
Finding Healing from Abortion After Entering the Rooms of Recovery
| Abortion Healing, God, Grief & Loss, Spiritual Tools
For quite some time now, the Holy Spirit has been nudging me to write about a very sensitive and difficult subject—the pain and trauma caused by abortion. With God’s strength and courage, I pray that we as members of the CIR fellowship will join in deep prayer and...
Shifting Our Understanding from Surrendering to Yielding to God’s Will (Part 1)
| Addiction, Getting Sober, God
Every 12-step novice is familiar with the term “surrender” and its significance for finding recovery. However, as often as the word is used in recovery groups, the word itself does not appear in any of the Twelve Steps. I’ve spent decades in recovery and attended...
The Power of Surrender for Adult Children: Insights from Saint Joseph & Saint Thérèse for Step 1
| Adult Children of an Alcoholic, First Step, Help from the Saints, Saints—On Earth & in Heaven
In our journey of recovery, Step 1—“We admitted we were powerless over the effects of living with alcoholism and that our lives had become unmanageable”—stands as a beacon of self-awareness and courage for adult children of dysfunctional homes. Drawing wisdom from the...
What an Ancient Advent Tradition Teaches Us About Recovery
| General, Prayer, Prayer & Scripture Reflections, Spiritual Tools
I live in rural Pennsylvania, where most of my neighbors are farmers, and many of them are Amish. For those who don’t know, the Amish are Christians whose faith practices include eschewing modern transportation in favor of horse-drawn buggies. All of this means that...
Navigating Triggers: A Compassionate Approach for Adult Children of Dysfunction During the Holidays
| Adult Children of an Alcoholic, Loved One of an Addict, Spiritual Tools
The holiday season, often synonymous with family gatherings, can evoke a mix of joy and suffering for adult children of dysfunction. Past wounds may resurface, and triggers linked to family dynamics might cast shadows over the festivities. Below are a few key...
Wandering Home: Lessons from the Holy House of Loreto
| God
Step Three has been a tough one for many of us. In order to place ourselves in the care of God as we understand Him, we must trust not just a person but that Person’s process. Step Three calls us to trust that God knows not just what we need right now but that His...
3 Ways the Incarnation of Jesus Helps Disordered Eating Recovery
I could just eat that “one more bite.” It’s right here on the tip of my fork, ready and waiting, the perfect last bite to a delicious meal. It’s completely within my power to consume it, to get that “just one more” bite of deliciousness, because who knows when I’ll...
Embracing Grief and Spiritual Healing in Adult Child Recovery
| General
In our pilgrimage as adult children in recovery, we are met by an unwavering companion: grief. These emotions and processes are pivotal in healing from the wounds of our past, particularly in mourning the childhood that was stolen from us. As Catholics in recovery...
A Survival Guide for Maintaining Recovery During the Holidays for Compulsive Eating
Holidays can be a challenging time for those dealing with food addiction, compulsive eating and restricting, and other food-related challenges. Yes, you can still maintain your program through the holidays! But it will require planning, intentionality, and support....
What Is a Home Group and Why Do I Need One?
| 12-Step Meetings, Community, Getting Sober
I’ve heard it said that “Home is the place where you have to go, and they have to take you.” For many of us in addiction recovery, whether as addicts or their loved ones, there’s a lot of baggage around “having” to go home and “having” to be accepted there. So when we...