Once upon a time there was a young girl who, by the time she was 17, was rather horrifically addicted to drugs (including the liquid drug, alcohol). Fortunately, the young girl got pregnant at aged 20 and to this day she swears with absolute certainty that the beautiful baby girl who appeared in July 1981 did more than change her life, she saved her life.
A lot of life has happened in the past 34 years since the miracle child appeared. The young girl didn’t stop using, but her using did change and she and her baby were alone for years and then a marriage and another beautiful baby girl came along and she ditched the husband two years after the marriage but was happy to keep the two girls and after a few years the young girl turned 29 and got clean and met a dude who had also chosen a life in recovery and then his young boy joined the family and shit got crazy for a while because well the Brady Bunch they were not but it’s all pretty good now and she figures she will be keeping this husband at least for the rest of her life because who the hell else is going to take care of her (joking – she loves him). And now, the not-so-young-anymore girl is 55 and a step-grandmother to three beautiful kids including one six-year old boy who spends a lot of time at her house and gosh but she loves that that she gets to learn so much about dinosaurs every time he visits. And the hugs -oh my but how she loves the hugs.
And it’s not that one child is more important or could be more loved than another, ever. But there was a pretty special moment just this past Tuesday when that first miracle baby girl announced that the child she is carrying is a baby girl who will be named Marley Dawn because Dawn is the name of the young girl who would never be living the amazing life she is living if the miracle child hadn’t come along when she did in 1981. And the biggest miracle of all for that woman named Dawn might be that she gets to see her daughter get through a pregnancy without a single drop of alcohol or a drug because gosh darn it that girl is not an addict like her mother was and not only that she’s 34 so quite mature and a healthy and happy adult who okay does get a little obsessed about things like weddings (so last year) and a baby girl named Marley Dawn (this year).
So I guess the moral of the story is that sad little addicted girls can grow up and choose recovery, and then they can raise kids in recovery so that those kids don’t have to become addicts and they in turn can give birth to another generation of kids who don’t have to become addicts.
And isn’t this just kind of a wonderful thing?
Love,
Dawn
*Note: The ultrasound image is of our beautiful grand-daughter, Marley Dawn.
This is beautiful! Congratulations!
Thank you, Karla!
A miracle indeed Dawn 🙂 Thank you for your authenticity and great story telling – truth always beats fiction, doesn’t it? Thank you for choosing the path of wellness, honesty and recovery – what a shining example you are to all women seeking a rich and awesome life! xo
You are pretty shining example too, Bug. I love you and appreciate all that you do for women in recovery and…for me. Big love. See you soon.
I just got chills reading this. Such a wonderful true story. And the circle of recovery, and life, continues…
It’s a really exciting time for our family. I’m so proud to have done my part to stop the cycle of insanity in my family. Thank you for being here.