Trigger warning: This story mentions addiction, homelessness, chronic illness, grief, and loss.
Mary had a tough life growing up, though she is always quick to point out that it wasn’t entirely bad. At a very young age, she fell into an addiction to heavy prescription substances, which began as a desperate attempt to self-medicate. She had been dealing with the pain of crippling, undiagnosed endometriosis and was simply looking for a way to treat a real medical condition. Unfortunately, the struggle escalated, eventually leaving her experiencing homelessness and at rock bottom.
She endured intensive recovery therapy for ten years, a process that caused her to gain over a hundred pounds and left her facing severe physical challenges. As a result of her substance use, she contracted Hepatitis C, which felt like an overwhelming health crisis at the time. A new medication eventually saved her, but the treatment was incredibly harsh. She lost her hair, her eyebrows, and it pushed her mental well-being to the brink. At her lowest point, she maintained a deep inner faith that things could get better. Even though she had done things she regretted and felt unworthy, she found the strength to pull herself out of the darkness. She stayed on a healthy path and began repairing her relationship with her mother, who had previously been forced to set strict boundaries to protect Mary’s four younger siblings.
About two months after achieving sobriety and finishing Hepatitis C treatment, she found out she was pregnant. At thirty-three years old, this unexpected blessing changed everything. She drove all the way home in the snow in complete silence, as she had never expected to have children and didn’t even know if she could. Becoming a mother helped her see things differently. She dedicated her focus to healing, knowing she had to break old habits for both herself and her son. She started doing yoga at home to manage her physical ailments, discovered the teachings of Louise Hay around 2010, and began practicing chakra meditations. Once her son was born, she realized that gratitude was the secret to her universe.
“Stay grateful. It’s two words, and it can sum up everything.”
~ Mary
The true trick, however, was maintaining that mindset. She found herself getting lost in the middle of the day because the chaotic world constantly dragged her attention away. She needed a reliable way to log her thoughts and journal her daily blessings. She found the Gratitude app on her phone, and it became a simple way to pause each day and turn being thankful into a habit she actually stuck with, and she continues using it five years later. Using a digital space to journal or upload a quick photo from her camera roll helped her process her thoughts. Even on busy days, she took time to write, which kept her grounded when life got hectic.
Keeping up with this daily routine and believing in herself helped her through another hard phase when life took a turn again. Her mother, who was also her employer since Mary was her caregiver, went in for a routine heart valve replacement. After suffering a severe reaction and multiple blood clots, she passed away. It was the hardest moment of her entire life. Her own health continued to test her relentlessly. Her endometriosis remains incurable, causing her organs to fuse together and requiring multiple surgeries she cannot afford. Recently, an undiagnosed autoimmune issue caused her to temporarily lose the ability to walk for a couple of weeks, and she lost all use of her right arm, unable to even lift a fork or hold a cup. Because she lost her mother and her income simultaneously, she had to find a new way to survive. She returned to her first job and childhood passion of music.
She became a full-time musician with a therapeutic purpose. She sings for the elderly in nursing homes, leads jam sessions at a fellowship house for individuals facing mental health challenges, and performs at restaurants with a full band. She mentions that although she might not have a million dollars or financial security, she still has enough, with food in her fridge, a roof over her head, and a beautiful place to raise her children. When she goes into those nursing homes and sings for residents facing severe mobility challenges, or stroke patients who can only communicate by ringing bells, her perspective changes entirely.
“I have hope where, ten years ago, I would have been struggling every day. Now I lean on my faith and gratitude practice, and I put my hope in the future.”
~ Mary
Before, she was consumed by the chaos of addiction, constant panic, and daily survival. Now, she uses gratitude as a shield and a lens. She and her husband have been together for twenty-six years, surviving addiction, health crises, and raising babies together. When frustrations arise, gratitude helps her focus on the good things in her life. She has even used this practice to survive severely toxic work environments, choosing to protect her peace of mind and wish people well instead.
She believes completely in the life-saving power of perspective. She recalls an instance when someone called her feeling like they no longer wanted to be on this earth. In that critical moment, she stepped in and told him, “Okay, three things you’re grateful for right now. Let’s go.” He thought about it and answered, “My children.” Knowing he had three children to live for, she replied, “Well, there you go.” It is moments like this that reinforce her belief that you can truly save a life with gratitude. Today, her son is a thriving ten-year-old, and she is living proof of eleven beautiful, hard-fought years free from addiction. She looks forward to the future with a peaceful heart, knowing that new medical therapies are always developing and that she has the strength to weather any storm.
This is Mary’s story, told beautifully by her and curated in its truest form by me to share with you.
I would love to hear your story. Write to me at preeti@gratefulness.me 💌
Every story is a reminder that a grateful heart is a magnet for miracles.
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