Nov 6, 2024

A message to the Café Community from Executive Director Jen Jepsen

Love yourself. Then forget it. Then love the world. -Mary Oliver

Here we find ourselves at the tail end of yet another fraught election cycle. Each of us in our camps, unable to fathom how the other side could have possibly voted for who they voted for. Our reasons run the gamut as we remain entrenched, some of us afraid, some of us baffled, and a lot of us certain.

In the Café, we have sought to navigate these muddy waters with clarity and the singular focus of belonging. Recovery work, no matter what a person is in recovery for, is nonpartisan. We provide a safe haven where members from different backgrounds, cultures, experiences, and political viewpoints can come together and support each other as we navigate the challenging path of recovery. A community where everyone belongs.

Recovery work is the work of discovering what it means to be whole. And wholeness is the re-organizing work of love. No matter what things look like next week, next month, next year – our work in the Cafe and in the wider community persists.

Love.

We first begin with the hardest part, loving ourselves, which then translates into love for the world.

As we like to say, Everyone is in recovery from something. This work is for us all.