I Will Not Be Moved

Tonight was the third meeting of Adult Children of Hoarders Spokane. It was highly successful. Still, I was the only member.

How was it successful?


Each time I show up and no one else does, I grow in humility. I know that I have something positive that many others want and need, but hoarding is still such a new social issue--it's extremely difficult to reach the people who want and need a group. So many COH are still living in silence.

So, I am not discouraged. I know one night I'm going to show up and there is going to be a room full of people. And beyond that, we are going to build our own literature and start groups in other cities and states. I promise you it will happen.

And tonight, this song is on my heart, so I'm sharing it with you...


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My birthday...but a wish for you

Image
Some of you have asked about my mom from time to time, and since our story is very public, I like to share occasionally. Stopped by Mom's apartment in the assisted living facility she lives at these days to drop off a few necessities for her. Her apartment continues to remain spacious and sparsely decorated. She spends most of her time in her room, watching TV and tatting or reading. She's given up many other crafts and social activities. I think dementia,  caused by her bipolar disorder, makes social activities hard for her. She can't maintain her focus on so many different people in large groups. She's aware that her memory is going. But dementia means that she forgets things. Like her only child's birthday. Or, it means that she remembers calling me two years ago on my birthday, and well, that is the same as calling me on my birthday this year in her mind. So my birthday came and went unnoticed by Mom. Or so I thought. Tonight, she handed me a neatly wrap
Read more

Hoarding--it's not about the STUFF

Since I've become so open with my childhood and the family secret, I am often asked why all the stuff in the house was so bad. It's easy to look at a pile of boxes and bags sliding down atop the boxes filled with craft supplies and books, and not understand why this was so difficult. Very simply, it's not about the STUFF . Research indicates that almost all those who suffer with hoarding compulsions have another issue--mental illness, or brain injury. Hoarding is not THE issue; it's a physically manifested symptom of an internal problem. My take on it is simple. The stuff does one of two things: 1. The grand chaos of things is a reflection of an internal chaos in the brain. Many of our HPs have an inability to sort in a "normal" way. Instead of overgeneralizing things into groups, hoarders have a tendency toward "over-specification" (My word for everything being too unique to actually be the same as something else. I'm sure there is a more profe
Read more

Admitting the Truth, Uncovering the Lie

Image
"White lies" became a regular and normal part of my childhood. I've heard others tell stories about the elaborate tales of renovation that were built and concocted to keep friends and family away from the family home, the hoard. I was never that creative. I would say something along the lines of the house being a mess, believing that no one would truly suspect the truth--the house was a MESS! It hit me recently that I still have trouble telling the truth in situations where it really doesn't make a difference whether I tell the truth or not. It disturbs me to think that telling a half-truth or painting a beautiful deception is not only easy for me, but that my moral compass does not readily stop me from doing it. Borrowed from Mark Pocan, WI representative, personal blog For instance, I have told a lie about my abilities in gymnastics and tumbling since I was a small child. I'm not sure how the lie first reared its ugly head, but like a zit that is touched
Read more