One Saturday evening in April 2022, I sat in an audience of five hundred women in recovery listening to the remarkably lovely Ashley Judd share about her journey to spiritual wellness. She spoke to many aspects of her growth as an adult child of dysfunction, referring several times to her healed relationship with her beloved mother, Naomi Judd.
On that warm night in Miami, Ashley talked about knowing how to "be together" with her mom and about their deep love and affection for one another. She spoke to us about finding understanding, acceptance, and forgiveness in their relationship.
Seven days later, Ashley and her sister, Wynonna, announced that their mother had passed away after years of suffering from mental illness. And just like that, Ashley's and Wynonna's own lives and stories were forever changed.
The same is true for all of us: deep loss transforms our recovery stories, especially when the most important characters in that story leave us. Fortunately for us, the loving, healing parts of our stories are embedded in our souls and live on forever.
Our stories are not static; they grow and change with every heartbreak.