Serenity Point Recovery Patients Share Thoughts of Gratitude on Thanksgiving
Marne, MI (PRWEB) November 26, 2015 -- Patients at Serenity Point Recovery, a holistic treatment center for substance abuse located in central Michigan, have come together on Thanksgiving Day to share the things that they are most grateful for today. In a specially produced video, available for viewing on the Serenity Point YouTube channel, patients displayed what they wrote on index cards, describing the things that they are thankful for on this holiday celebrating gratitude.
“Thanksgiving is a time-honored tradition in our culture, dating back to the first Europeans to settle in America,” explained Serenity Point founder Per Wickstrom. “Many of our patients have never been away from home for this holiday. Some haven’t spent this holiday with family in years. It was an uplifting experience to see how strong the bonds of friendship have become between our patients, even to the point where they refer to each other as their ‘new family’.
Their feelings of gratitude and connection with each other are just one of the many things that our treatment program helps them to discover. Seeing the progress that our patients have made in their recovery fills our hearts with gratitude on this Thanksgiving Day.”
Ross McCurdy, the Executive Chef at Serenity Point, along with the rest of the kitchen staff, put a tremendous amount of effort into preparing a traditional Thanksgiving Day feast for the patients, no small feat considering the number of people in residence at the recovery center. The spread was exactly what one would expect at a family gathering for this holiday – Juicy oven-roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and everything in between. It was a fantastic meal with the feeling of a “home away from home” for the patients.
In addition to this feast, several of the Serenity Point patients wanted to express the gratitude that they feel for the things in their lives that they can recognize and appreciate today. Many of these things were previously taken for granted, or couldn’t be seen through the darkness of their addictions. Written in marker on index cards, the patients showed thanks for things like “Second Chances”, “A New Life”, “Light in Dark Places”, and many other things that their treatment program has helped them to see through their recovery.
“I’m thankful for Hope,” offered Joseph A., holding up his card with that single word written on it, “because, before Serenity, I really didn’t have any.” He also expressed how excited he was to be there to share the holiday with his “new family”, even though this was the first Thanksgiving that he had ever spent away from home.
“I’m really thankful for Forgiveness,” Jordyn H. shared as she displayed her card, “because, without it, I wouldn’t be able to move forward in my recovery. We are going to spend time together, celebrate our gratitude for everything that we have. To just be with each other is really awesome.”
Serenity Point Recovery uses a very unique and thorough program that is designed to be adaptable to any patient that comes to their doors seeking help in overcoming their addiction. Rather than simply addressing the symptoms of substance abuse, Serenity Point seeks to help their patients uncover and address the underlying causes of their compulsive behavior, and to help them find a new outlook on life and an appreciation for others.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9LmjZG66ss
Derry Hallmark, Serenity Rehab Michigan, http://www.serenityrehab.org, +1 231-887-4590, [email protected]
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