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Pen and Ink Gallery
Jacque's Poem
from the
Pitts to the Peak 2008 Summer Retreat
New Monday
An orange giant stands off in the distance as rain clouds slowly drift by
Birds are chirping all around me as water drips from grey sky
Trees stand tall and proud, waving as symbols of your creative ways
Wind rushes across my thirsty skin as you cleanse me from my plague
I embrace this power, this love, this beauty that is all of you
As I sit in this surreal garden, on a Monday, as you make me a new!
A poem by Jacque
Colorado's Garden of the Gods
Lifeway's "Pits to the Peak" Summer 2008 Retreat
When you hear the words "haunted house", do you run to it or away from it? I personally don't like being scared as I think daily news, politics, and being a parent are scary enough! I do love social gatherings, especially with people who enjoy being sober, so I ventured out, this past Oct 31st, with my teen son and other Lifeway members to The Sugarland's Group haunted house! It seemed to me that some people were there for the thrill of the unknown, while others were just curious to see if the place would really scare them. Whatever your reason might have been to visit the Lifeway Haunted House, I know if you were there you weren't disappointed.
 The Sugarland group did a great job of creating a creepy place. The Lifeway haunted house was put together with an extensive wall and floor covering of black plastic sheeting for every hall and room. In addition to the typical skeletons, eerie wooden coffins and dimly lit rooms some of the creators of the haunted house let their imaginations run wild. There was a blood stained guillotine upon your entrance that hinted gore is just around the corner. One dad told me, "The rooms were constructed around familiar psychological fears." Keep in mind I couldn't get myself to go in, so I asked for an example and he gave a vivid description: "One room had a mattress soaked in what looked like blood, with the remainder of a leg and a (fake) bloody foot upon it. Then to add to the mental stress, one encountered in the adjoining room a blood stained guy sitting on a sofa blankly staring at a TV screen of wh ite fuzz." He concluded, "It was very much like a Hitchcock film!" I asked one of the teen Lifeway members if he felt scared going through the house and he said, "Only when I was in the fog room and I couldn't see three feet in front of me, then a tall guy suddenly appeared before me. I don't know where he came from! That freaked me out!" Other favorite thrills were "Mr. Pin Head" which was a person wearing a full scalp, face and neck of nails stuck into a white rubber mask. His T shirt said "Shift Faced", for a more thought-provoking impression!
It was easy to see this Halloween night how much the parents of teens in recovery needed to play too. Many of us, including me, wore masks, wigs or entire costumes to get in the spirit of night. We are a group who might cry hard at Lifeway meetings, but we also laugh the most at Lifeway hangouts! I believe this emotional freedom is all part of the healing process and that's what makes Lifeway work so well. Take a look at our photos. Many of those in costumes were the adults! We were dressed in styles from Sarah Palin to Keith Richards and disguises that ranged from a wrinkled bag lady to a KISS rock star!
In closing, I want to mention that on our haunted house night, a young adult who recently and abruptly decided to leave Lifeway showed up at this public gathering. Two weeks earlier he told his parents he didn't need Lifeway anymore, yet, there he was! He happily hung out with us and it was so good to see him. This told me that even when a teen in recovery thinks they are finished and that they don't need Lifeway anymore, something lures them back - even if it's just for a fun evening - they come back and that alone says much more than I can tell you about the success of the Halloween haunted house and the power of this life saving organization!
Click Here to download the "The Mysterious Lure of a Haunted House Flyer"
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