With 28 men now enrolled in Guiding Light Recovery, we have been forced to move our “morning ritual” out of the common space and in to the chapel. “Morning rit,” as it is called by the men, is an exercise we do start the day off with our best foot forwards and an opportunity to develop a connected community. It is an opportunity to stand in front of your peers and make a statement of gratitude, purpose, and intention for your day. It is an opportunity to hear statements of gratitude, purpose, and intention from your peers. At 7:25am every morning, the men gather in a circle and go around the room, one by one, each stating their name, what they are grateful for, and what they will “be” or “take a stand” for today.
Gratitude is a keystone of well-being, and so, at Guiding Light we verbalize what we’re thankful for to start our days here. When you “take a stand” for something or make a declaration of “who you’re going to be” for the day, you set in motion powerful possibilities. Statements of taking a stand and statements of being involve nouns not descriptors because you are going to be it, not just be like it: For example, someone might state “Today I am going to be love.” They would not state ‘I’m going to be loving.” They could state, “Today I’m going to be gratitude,” or could state, “Today I am taking a stand for willingness.”
The practice of rituals are an important part of Guiding Light Recovery programming. Rituals are routines we give importance to and which point us to the bigger, greater vision of life. Rituals slow us down and bring us into both the present and possibility. They are simple actions and simple words which connect us to ourselves, the bigger picture, and the current moment. One of the aspects that makes the Guiding Light Recovery program so unique is the focus we put on the bigger picture for our client’s lives. Recovery, to us, is not just about figuring out how to stop drinking and using. We believe life is so much more than that. We believe that the men that are truly successful in sobriety are the ones who use the tools and resources offered them here to construct a new life for themselves that is worth staying sober for.
It is crucial, especially today, that men struggling with addiction in our community have an accessible place to go when they need help. It costs roughly $300 a day to house, feed, and educate each man living at our facility in Heartside. The only cost for men to stay at Guiding Light is their honesty and willingness to change. This could not be possible without the help of people like you. Without the tireless devotion and generosity of our donors, volunteers, and advocates, this would not be possible. Without you, men in our community struggling with homelessness and addiction would not have a place to heal in the spirit of God’s love. From all of us at Guiding Light, clients and staff alike, God bless you and thank you so much for all of your support.
