This family weekend was nothing short of amazing. Powerful, eye-opening, life-changing, full of love, compassion, and spiritual guidance and nurturing. I left feeling so much lighter and more hopeful about my son’s future, but also much more knowledgeable about our family disease and what we can do to heal ourselves. We have generations of the family disease that have tragically manifested in my son’s heroin addiction, but it’s really nothing new.

Even after 18 months of my own dedicated learning, Al Anon, reading, therapy – you gave me new insights and more things I can do for myself, and to support my son in his recovery. This all started for me in earnest when he entered his first treatment center in October 2015, and I began taking my head out of the sand after 14 years of his troubles.

TARC is just different. Other parents said the same this weekend. You all are truly spiritual warriors – passionate and powerful in your approach. There’s an expression, “no one cares what you know until they know you care” – and your love comes shining through in this life mission you’ve taken on to help others heal, after having suffered so much yourselves in your personal journeys. While you all may be paid, it’s clear that you go above and beyond, and that you do this out of love.

Anyway — God bless you all for this life saving work you do and THANK you. Now I have many more names to add to my daily prayer list — all the guys, but also all of you.