Vision Statements By Gemeinschaft Residents

As a part time counselor at the Gemeinschaft Women's 
House, I recently suggested they each write a vision
statement for themselves.

The following statements are by some of the current residents of the Women's House, posted with their permission:

My personal vision includes staying completely devoted to my sobriety, building a relationship with God, maintaining trust with my mother and family, and having strong, healthy relationships with them and my children. Most important to me, after my sobriety, is having joint custody of all three of my children, with their father sharing custody. I want to be the best version of myself, so I can be the mother my children deserve and need. I see myself and my children having a happy, healthy life in a loving and stable home. I also desire to have a stable job that allows me to provide for my children and myself without financial worries. 

     It would be awesome to have a significant other who shares the same values and would treat my children as he would his own, but that is not negotiable because my children will have a happy, loving and healthy home with or without my being married or in a relationship. I am not going to be pressed into finding someone, and I will not have just any man or men in and out of my children's lives.   

 - Autumn Shifflett

     My vision to have a more fulfilling life and becoming more powerful than my addiction is as follows: I will take more time each day to be humble and grateful. I'll make sure to appreciate small things I  would normally overlook and realize how blessed I actually am. When I become overwhelmed I will take time to see how far I've come compared to what I've been.      

- Emily Bartley

     My vision for myself is creating a life that I am satisfied with and that my children can look up to and be proud of. I don't want to just go through the motions; I want to be mindful of what I am presenting to the world. I will be kind, helpful, generous, thoughtful and caring. I will incorporate this not only into my personal life but in my professional life as well.  

 - Gina Brigante

     My vision is to lead a simple life and be grateful for all the things being in recovery has given me, and to learn new things to better myself.
     I will show love rather than expect love. I will support my children at every stage of life and accept them for who they are and will become. I will have pride and dignity as a person and a mother, and practice rigorous honesty and teach my children to be authentically themselves. I will teach them to make tough and unpopular decisions based on their own best interests, to teach them to properly manage their emotions in a healthy way, and that all emotions big or small are valid, along with their opinions and thoughts. I will teach my children to be independent and to solve problems in a healthy way, but also protect them when they are struggling. 
     Before I can do any of this I must learn to be the best version of myself, to build trust with my family and my children, to continue with my recovery and work as hard as I can for a better and good life for my kids. I must continue to take care of myself and weed out or remove people who no longer serve a valid purpose for my life or in any way bring me down.
     Most of all my main vision is just to succeed in life and recovery with my children.   

- Dana Silvious

     I will continue to work hard to grow and become a better woman and a better mother, and to stand strong during difficult times and lead my children in the right direction. 

     My personal vision is to be the person for my children that I needed when I was growing up, to show unconditional love, understanding and guidance no matter how hard things may get, and to create a life for my children that they don't need to heal from.           

- Kirstynn Grimes