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UPCOMING MEETINGS
**** PSST meetings will be discontinued for the next several months. Once we have determined a re-start date for the meetings, we will post that information on this website. ****
Check the calendar on the right for the date and location of our next Saturday morning meeting. Meetings are held from 9-11:30am. The first Saturday of the month we meet at the Eastern Probation Office in Wilkinsburg; the second Saturday is at Trinity Lutheran Church in Wexford; and the third Saturday is at Sts Simon and Jude School in Greentree. We always hope to see new parents in attendance. If you've been thinking about coming to one of our meetings, why not make this the one?
Please click on thumbnail maps below for directions.
Directions to Eastern Probation Office
The Eastern Probation Office is located at 907 West St., Wilkinsburg, PA 15221
Click here for detailed directions
Directions to Trinity Lutheran Church (including alternate avoiding I79)
Trinity Lutheran Church is at 2500 Brandt School Road, Wexford, PA 15090.
Click here for the detailed directions
Directions to Saints Simon and Jude School
Saints Simon & Jude School is at 1607 Greentree Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15220. Click on the thumbnail map for Google Maps Directions. Time To Act
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6 comments:
No Person is Ever Truly Alone
by Richard Fife
No person is ever truly alone.
Those who live no more,
Whom we loved,
Echo still within our thoughts,
Our words, our hearts.
And what they did
And who they were
Becomes a part of all that we are,
Forever.
I always talk about how life threatening this disease is and how it can kill you. Parents talk about it. Everyone talks about it. Now, I believe I will speak about this life threatening disease even more. However, I will feel differently when I do speak about it. This recent loss has hit so many of us so hard. Now this deadly disease has a face. And this face is familiar; it just happens to be one that I will miss very much.
You know, a teenager just shared with me what an eye-opener this death was for him- because even though he knew that this is a life-threatening disease, he just never thought that it would happen to him or to one of his friends. Well, even though I know that this is a life-threatening disease, and even though I know that I have twenty-some teens at any one time that suffer with this disease, I just never thought that it would happen to one of mine. At least I didn't think it would happen until well after they had walked out of my life.
I need to say more about how this has changed me. I am much more aware now of how easy I can be fooled. In part that is because addicts are so good at telling us what we want to hear. In part it is because this disease is "cunning, baffling, and powerful." In part I'm sometimes fooled because I'm hearing is what I want to hear.
I know that it is easy for parents to be fooled too. That is why we all need help. That is why we have to help each other. Parents, Probation Officers, Therapists, halfway house staff, sponsors, recovering peers, other family members, all are needed to figure out what’s going on with our addicts and how to best to help.
Especially, parents can often lead the way for professionals. That is one thing that I love about working with those of you who come to PSST. You beat me over the head with the facts sometimes, but by in large, you are all such great detectives, such experts on your own teenagers, that it is a pleasure and privilege to work with you. However, I know that any one of you, on any given day, can be fooled too; so it's important to get as many heads together as we can to fight this disease.
More than ever I believe in the saying, "United we stand- Divided we fall." More than ever I believe that "secrets keep us sick." More than ever I believe that we just buy clean time for our kids and hope that the miracle happens while we are doing it. And more than ever, I believe each and every one of you who fights this battle to give your addicts another day clean- another day alive- is a hero. You are all heroes to me. Thanks for inspiring me each and every day.
Also, thanks for the support and encouragement that you have shown to me recently. This support has come from teenagers, parents, my colleagues at Juvenile Court, my supervisor, and my family. It is hard to find the words to explain how helpful you all have been.
Keep the up the good fight. This tragedy reminds us of why we fight. God bless you all.
Mr. Woodward
the love you have for all these children/teens is beautiful. i have never met anyone in my intire life who cared so much about everyone else's children.. i just want you to know that my heart hurts so much seeing you hurt so much.. please try to remember that with every closed door there is an open door to attend to.. i knew just how much you cared for this person you lost to this disease, but i also know just how much you care about the others in your care.. what ever you do do not give up, this is just one stepping stone that you can overcome.. yu have a gift, a very special gift and no one can take that away from you its just who you are...never change and remember that its ok to grieve loss, and put no time limit on it also. this is a sad time for all of us and we need each other to get through it and remember you have many friends to help you through this. God Bless yu, and thank you for all your love.
You are our hero. These teens are not yours, you do not have to love them, but you call them yours and love them anyway. Maybe someday they can give it back to you.
Lloyd really hits on several good points. One in particular is being "FOOLED". We can all relate to this-unfortunately. I have been fooled by my son many times. The more he fooled me, the madder I became at myself. Why did I believe him? I can't believe he got over on me again. The reason I believed him is because I am human! I love this person & I want more than anything for him to be open & honest- especially to ME- I am his Mother!!!
When we have been fooled it's important to be kind to ourselves. We can't beat ourselves up over it.
But, working as a team, parents & professionals we can sort of "sift through" the information together and help each other see what is clear to some & a little blurry to others. That is what I love about the PSST meetings, we all can look at the same situation & "see" something different. When we share our experiences it really makes the group stronger as individuals and as a whole.
The following poem is posted with the family's consent:
Give It My All
Such a passion for life, how can I deal with this strife?
Sick of people telling me what to do, “What’s wrong or what’s right”
Got to find a way to relax, just to chill would be nice, but it’s so hard to be calm
when you stay up all night.
Such a monotonous theme, these drug dealing themes triple beam dreams only
create a new set of feigns.
I don’t know about you but it really ain’t cute
Watching somebody, whose dope sick go and just puke,
It’s a disgusting scam and it’s sad because it only gets worse.
There’s only two out comes Jail or up in the Hurst.
So whether you’re hustling or buying either way you’re slowly dying. So next time
You make a move picture your mom crying.
It ain’t cool life ain’t fair
But that ain’t any reason to stop and not care.
It’s a viscous cycle like a bad song stuck on repeat.
A mind consuming disease all it does is just eat.
It eats away at your morals, kills any dreams you’re pursuing.
Remember those things you said you’d never do now just look what you’re doing.
It’s crazy but maybe we can overcome this awful truth.
It’s got to start somewhere, how about with the youth,
We got to start a resistance, gotta start and attack
Before it keeps getting worse newborns are dying from Crack.
Think about the bigger picture. How do you want your kids to live?
We need to stop being greedy if you’re going to take you must give.
But I can’t take much more so I’m gonna give it my all.
So for as long as I live, I know I ain’t going to fall.
Written By Jessica B.
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