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Springtime has had a wonderful beginning, between horseback riding, a low ropes course and the spunky energy of these ladies, we have brought the new season with a bang.

Recently, as we rode our horses through the rolling hills of the Appalachias, they gave way to a dramatic view of the mountains below. Though the sun was shining bright and the air was still crisp, there was an energy of new growth and possibility. As we crested one of the ridges, we were greeted by the sound of baby lambs calling to their mothers. All of us felt a strong connection with the land, the horses, the crisp fresh air and the conversation between us. This feeling of connectedness created a memorable and wonderful experience for us all.

The next Sunday, all of the women, participated in a low ropes course.  It started out with some entertaining dance-move name game, then it progressed into a set of more challenging communication and physical excersizes. Our facilitator, Andrew, did an excellent job supporting us as we moved through each of the stages of the course.  There were two large logs in a V shape that required two of us at a time pushed hands together over our heads, arms straight and strong as we walked to the widest part of the V, our bodies eventually approaching a horizontal angle! There was also a cable walk that required us to balance as we used the hanging ropes to move from one tree to the next.

To say that the ladies “had way more fun than expected”  would be an understatement. In fact, they all wanted to return for the high ropes course!

The power of spring and the possibilities it holds is exciting for all of us at Next Step Recovery. Though the journey may be difficult and challenges many, we will, like the spring flowers, break through and celebrate our lives!

Kendall Williams

Recently, we had the night of “the Sacred Fire” at the women’s house. Spring had just sprung and it was a beautiful night for such a profound event. As we gathered around an open fire, everyone could feel the energy in the air shift.

Part of the ceremony is to “smudge” each person. Native American traditions believe that before a person can be healed or heal another, one must be cleansed of any bad feelings, negative thoughts, bad spirits or negative energy, they must be cleansed both physically and spiritually. Smudging helps the healing to come through in a pure way, without being distorted by negative influences in either the healer or the recipient.

The ceremony involves the burning of certain herbs, taking the smoke in one’s hands and rubbing or brushing it over their body. Some of the plants most frequently used in smudging are sage, cedar, and sweetgrass.

After all of the women had been smudged, they each courageously shared their resentments, negative energies and mistaken beliefs that they wanted to let go. With this release, each person was able to accept a powerful gift from their God, the Universe or Higher Power. When everyone was finished and after a moment of silence, we all celebrated the release and empowerment as we whooped and hollered and beat our drums and shook our rattles in exaltation. Following the ceremony, the 12-Step Promises were read and each of the women made a sacred promise to the group.

These experiences are always humbling and they remind us that our house at Next Step and the work done here is truly such a gift!

Kathy Romenus LPC, LCAS, CCS

One of things I love about our women’s program is our weekend group activity that focuses on countless ways to have fun without drugs or alcohol. This weekend’s theme was chocolate. How can a Sunday with chocolate and wonderful women not be fabulous? With Valentines Day a few days away, it also seemed the perfect time to show our residents a sweet way to be decadent.

Although making truffles seemed an intimidating task, we approached our destruction of the kitchen with lighthearted abandon. Having just taken a truffle-making class, I knew we had to start by creating the interior, so we melted the chocolate, added cream and butter, and then set the bowl to freeze before heading out to buy the rest of the ingredients.

In addition to our successful outing at Earthfare, we ventured into Sally’s Beauty Supply so Sarah and Liz could bleach and dye Sarah’s hair pink in mid truffle design. When we got back, the real work began. We chopped the fancy grade semi sweet chocolate, made the round balls of the filling and began “enrobing”, or covering the truffle filling. Our technique kept improving throughout the process. We even got creative, using leftover s’more fixins, candy canes and sprinkles to lend a little variety to the mix. We wound up making more than 50 beautiful and tasty truffles.

I think it was the laughter, though, that was most memorable. We ended up in hysterics as we looked at each other’s lips darkened with melted chocolate, and caught each other stealing chocolate pieces. The kitchen was filled with the sound of conversation. It was a sloppy but deeply rewarding experience.

After the sugar wore off, we headed down to the group room to practice yoga together. It is an honor to share my passion for this practice here at NSR. There’s just something about moving mindfully, facilitating a personal and centering hour of opening and relaxation, breath work and traditional yogic poses, especially after eating all that chocolate.

Namaste,
Kendall

The mood in the women’s house has been as mellow as our non-winter. We are laughing and playing and really working as a team. Everyone enjoyed sitting around the fire last week. Of course there were S’mores made with oversized marshmallows. The women spontaneously made festive masks before the fire in celebration. It was pleasant just sitting around the fire talking, listening to music and enjoying the outdoors. We have such a beautiful, peaceful environment here in Weaverville! Laurie is a new addition to our staff, a practicum student from WNC. It’s good to have another staff person to talk to. Some of our community are moving on and some alumni are visiting and getting recharged. It feels like home. We are excited about new women joining our family in the next week.

Kathy Ronemus, LPC, LCAS, CCS

Lately the Adelle CD seems to always be playing in the van.  Whether we are driving to an AA/NA meeting, back from volunteering with the adorable animals at Brother Wolf, or returning from Sunday’s activity – someone always reaches to turn up the volume of her deep soulful voice.  I love to sing.  So do all the other ladies, though I feel we all try to respect hearing Adelle’s actual voice and keep our vocal contributions to a minimum.  It really is a special thing to all experience the emotions, the stories she tells – knowing each one of us is relating in a very different way.

Each woman at Next Step Recovery has her own story. We all come from different backgrounds, yet such common threads run between us. This is a special group of women.  I have the privilege of witnessing them support one another as they look deeply at themselves and their recovery each day. At night, we come together to share our gratitude for our community and maybe a little Adelle…

Warmly,

Kendall

Welcome to Next Step Recovery for Women! We are looking forward to bringing you up to date information on NSRW and all the events and activities happening on a daily basis.