The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord,endures forever. Ps 138:8
One day this Spring, all the members of our Women of Courage outreach program rallied on their private social media group to shower praise on Megan, one of their own. It was well deserved. These days, she has so much to celebrate!
But it wasn’t always that way. In April 2018, Megan and her three kids – two boys and a girl, today ages 17, 14, and 12 – moved to the Springs to live with a friend. But unfortunately, soon after, the friend suddenly moved back to California.
Megan and the kids eventually ended up at the local family shelter. But homelessness was not their only problem. Megan struggled with chemical addiction, and the drugs held her back, impacting her whole family. By July of that year, Megan lost custody of her kids.
But Megan allowed that loss to serve as a catalyst in her life. “From there,” Megan reflects, “I started getting my act together!” After time at Springs Rescue Mission she made the courageous choice to get treatment. She completed 37 days of in-patient treatment, then continued with one-on-one therapy.
From there, the success started to flow. She was accepted into a sober living house and got a full-time job. She became an active and grateful member of Cocaine Anonymous and works with her
sponsor daily. The celebration we mentioned above? That was for her one year of sobriety!
Megan joined Women of Courage in April 2019, a program that means a lot to her. “The monthly meetings are so uplifting. It’s nice to be with other women who know what’s like to be a single mom and go through different trials.”
She and her Women of Courage Mentor, Tracy, have a great relationship. “We talk every Thursday. Tracy doesn’t know about drug addiction in her own life, but it’s so great to have someone to talk to about everything else – daily struggles, different things I’m going through, things Tracy can do to help within the parameters of the program. If I’m stressed,
she can listen.”
Today, Megan’s life just keeps getting brighter. Over the past year, she was even promoted to second in charge of the kitchen at her full-time job. All of her kids are back home with her and the child- protection case is closed. She recently celebrated 16 months sober. “I’m very proud of that!” she shares. “I am not ashamed of my past. I know it makes you who you
are. I’m happy to share my story if it can help others who are struggling.”
She adds an important note: “Everyone looks at Child Protection as a concern. But from my perspective, they saved my life and my kids’ lives. They did what was best for me and my kids.”
What would Megan say to others? “Don’t ever be afraid to ask for help. It’s NOT a weakness. The willingness to ask for help is the best attribute someone can have. No one has to do anything on their own. My Higher Power – God – can do anything! God works in ways we never know. His plan for us is never final. Our problems are there to help others. Everything happened to me at the right time for the right reason. I couldn’t have done any of this without God.”
