Hi, my name is Allison. It is my intent to share my experience, strength, and hope with whoever finds this information. If you have happened upon this blog then you were probably supposed to for some reason or another. I have a heart for those who are in need of or are in the process of recovery. Recovery from all kinds of things…. I am an alcoholic with 19 years of sobriety. I am also bipolar, have struggled with numerous health issues, and have found that life is still worth living after all. I aim to be humble every day because I don’t have all the answers. I trudge this road of recovery every day and learn new things each morning I put my feet on the floor. I have learned I can’t be given anything and that if I want recovery then I must work for it. It’s really hard work, but the blessings one can receive back are indescribable. The relationships I have forged through my issues are precious to me. The most precious one is with my God. You will hear me talk at length about all these things I’ve just mentioned in the coming days. I will talk about the people who have loved me when I couldn’t love myself; I will talk about the crazy bipolar syndrome and how I try to cope with it; I will talk about my alcoholism and my journey to sobriety; I’ll share stories about my childhood and all kinds of other things. My hope is somewhere you might relate with something you are struggling with, and maybe what I have discovered in my journey there will be something that can help you or someone you know.  My heart aches for people who are carrying the pain I have felt. Believe me – I have felt your pain. The journey never starts with happiness. It starts with pain, and it ends with happiness. I can tell you that not all the quotes or sayings I will share with you are original. They were passed on to me from friends and others in recovery. I don’t take the credit, but I can tell you they really do work. Look for them throughout my blog. The photographs you see scattered around the blog are personally taken by me. I am a professional photographer and enjoy sharing images. You may copy them for your pleasure. If you are just finding this blog for the first time I would encourage you to read the posts in the timeline section first to understand things from my  childhood and on into my growing up years progressively. This will give you a foundation for  What it was like, What happened, and What it’s like now in my life. Thanks for reading my blog, and may God bless you.