Jennifer Sheedy

I prefer to do this part in person over coffee or a meal, but I'll hit a few key points and if you want to know more, please ask. I love questions. It's probably why I usually ask too many!

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I distinctly remember being in my 20s, staring contemplatively out the window in a cold Chicago apartment. "Please God, give me a purpose. Give me some way to serve so my life doesn't feel so empty." I was in a PsyD program (doctor of psychology), running dogs and nannying, but I was directionless and looking for something that mattered, something to FIGHT for! This was my Enneagram 8 coming out.  

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Not long after, the ultimate Storyteller saw fit to place me in the trenches of addiction recovery as an utterly clueless "normie," and serving there required learning a new people, language and culture. After 11 years living in a recovery community and serving as the program director, and after 20 years trying to bear unwanted singleness with a smile on my face, I married a native of the addiction world--a recovering addict. As a firm believer in whole-life transformation, I ran to the altar with all the pent-up hopes of the prior 20 years: finally I had a best friend, companion, lover, and father of my someday-adopted children!

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And, for two months, I did. I then embarked on a 3-year journey with my husband as he slipped into dark tunnels of addiction I didn't know existed. I have emerged--single, childless, and sad--yet incredibly convinced of one thing: the key to happiness on earth is to love the will of God. Suffering is a part of his will, but so is fighting for eyes that see light in the darkness, hearts that cling to it, and souls that are determined to share it.