A Forever Recovery Graduate: Maggie

A Forever Recovery graduate Maggie. A Forever Recovery celebrates clients who graduate each week with a ceremony and open mic for those departing the facility.

New clients – called “blue banders” because they wear a blue wristband to signify they are within the first five days of the program — also attend the graduations.

Maggie, who graduated A Forever Recovery on August 22, referenced the current clients in attendance during her talk.

“I’m sure you’re dying to get out of here right now because that’s how I felt in my first graduation,” she said. “Just know this is a peer-based program, and if you immerse yourselves in the program and friendships, you will succeed.”

Maggie also gave a heartfelt thank you to her family – some of which made the trip from Colorado just to see her graduate.

“Thank you for loving me no matter what,” she said, “even through the worst times.”

To wrap up her testimony, Maggie, told a story that began with her parents taking her to the airport to come to A Forever Recovery.

It was one week after her birthday, and her parents gave her a birthday card on the way to the airport.

“It had a quote in it that I didn’t understand, and it could have been because I was pretty messed up on my way to the airport,” she said. “But in step seven we have to set goals for ourselves – 1-, 5-, 10-year goals – and it wasn’t that hard for me because I realized how many goals already that I wanted to do that I just gave up on.

“So I lost this quote while I was here and while I was packing last night, I found it. I read it and I was like, ‘this makes complete, perfect sense now.’ It’s Henry David Thoreau.

“’If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost. That is where they should be, now put the foundations under them.’”

Maggie will be one of many graduates leaving AFR with eyes toward dreams and goals that can now be achieved in sobriety.

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