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CeDAR Connects Alumni Newsletter
October 20th, 2022 | Volume 17
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Ever experience something you didn't know you needed? That happened to me during this past week's pop-up alumni meeting. The topic was on relationships and how through relationships, we come to know ourselves. As I was listening to alumni share vulnerably about their milestones, challenges and experiences, I began to experience a shift within myself. I was overcome with appreciation and a sense of "you're right where you need to be,"which for someone who is in the thick of change, was exactly the message I needed.
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My sponsor used to always say (upon meeting someone new), "We just met, but I already know you". It took me a while to truly grasp what she meant by that. My understanding of that statement deepened during this particular meeting. We were a circle of new alumni and old. Of varying ages, backgrounds, professions etc. Some in the circle didn't even know of everyone's first name. Yet, none of that mattered. For that hour in time, we entered into the circle with one sole purpose, to keep one another
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clean and sober another day. I needed the reminder that no matter what changes come in life, one constant can always remain: a community of recovering people, specifically our CeDAR Alumni Program. Through recovery, not only do we never have to drink or use again, we never have to be alone again. If you're going through life right now, please know you don't have to go at it alone. You are always welcome in our circle, no matter if the only name you know is your own. Our knowing of one another goes much deeper than temporal identifiers and that is something you can't find just anywhere.
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Morning Dose?
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In talking with several alumni recently, a common theme of needing morning/daytime support arose. Not all of us have to endure the 8-5 M-F rat race of life. Some of us are at-home parents, retirees, students or just not working at the moment. Early recovery, especially, can be highly transitional so we may find ourselves with open schedules and greatly needing structure. I would love to explore how we might be able to fill that gap either through a group or a coffee meet-up or both. I would love to hear your thoughts. Is this something you would find benefit in? What ideas do you have for programming? Email me to share.
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Book Club's Back, Alright!
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Book Club has organically become a prized group within the alumni community. It is small and intimate, and I think that is what makes it special. The newly formed club finished their first book and are now onto the second, The Path to Love by Deepak Chopra. You can join the group at any time as the group is still in the first 100 pages. Join Wednesdays at 6:45pm on Zoom. Check CeDAR Central for details.
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All Aboard CeDAR Central:
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Recovery progress is largely about positioning ourselves so that 1) we are aware of the resources available to us. 2) we know how to access the resources available to us and 3) we create easy avenues of access so that we utilize said resources. Cue, CeDAR Central. CeDAR Central, an alumni centric site, achieves each of these 3 strategies. We encourage you to bookmark/shortcut the link and get into the habit of routinely checking it for the most up-to-date info.
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Sober not Somber:
In this feature we highlight upcoming activities within the recovery community. If you have any recovery-related events to put on the calendar, reach out!
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One For the Ages!
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Movie on the Green, CeDAR's first on-campus event since 2019, was a huge hit thanks to all of you! We had over 100 people in attendance for an evening of celebration. We also unveiled the sign for CeDAR's Roots of Recovery Garden. On the back of the sign, a poem is inscribed and one that I think bea utifully describes the healing journey that is recovery. Read, "I Wish I Knew".
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