Twice as Nice
Megan’s House now proudly boasts of having five young women who have graduated from the program, two of them coming on the same day.
This past Tuesday, July 12th, Julia and Alyssa became the latest residents to complete the comprehensive process that is a hallmark of the Megan House holistic approach to recovery. The ceremony came the day after another young woman, Elizabeth, celebrated her graduation.
Julia’s ceremony was filled with tears, as she recounted the journey that led her to this point. She came to Megan House January 12th, making her the first graduate to complete the program in the minimum six month period. Not that the journey was easy.
“When I first got here, I wanted to leave every day,” Julia told her fellow residents and staff. “But this house helped me get through things I didn’t think I could get through.”
One of those things was the tragic death of a close friend last December. His birthday was January 12, the same day Julia moved into Megan’s House, the date she refers to as her “clean date.”
When it came time for the other residents to speak, they told of Julia’s strong, powerful influence on their recovery. Many spoke of kindness, with one young lady thanking Julia for often buying her coffee she couldn’t afford.
“I’m grateful there are places like this that can help you out,” said Julia’s father, as he thanked everyone associated with Megan’s House. “You found yourself again,” said one of Julia’s friends who showed up with a bullhorn to make sure the support came through loud and clear.
Alyssa’s ceremony featured more laughter than tears, fitting for a young woman described as light hearted but very serious about her recovery.
In her time at Megan’s House, Alyssa enrolled in classes at UMass Lowell and worked a job. While recounting “numerous stops and starts” along the way, she told those in attendance; “this house has transformed my life.”
While both of Tuesday’s graduation ceremonies concluded as all five have previously, with everyone in the room joining hands to recite the Serenity Prayer, Alyssa added her own twist. She asked all to place their “right foot forward as a symbol of where we’re going and the left foot back to the places we’ve been.”
When the prayer concluded and the group left the room, many stopped to view the “collage of inspiration,” the picture frame containing a going away present from each of the graduates. Once empty, the frame now displays five gifts, each a success story made possible by the mission of Megan’s House.