Every morning, Talbot House Ministries staff and residents join together to celebrate personal achievements, make announcements, and pray together to start the day. Below are some of the small miracles shared in these meetings this month:

December:

  • Simon got a job!
  • Helen reached a personal milestone: 18 months clean.
  • David earned a promotion.
  • Fred started work this month.
  • Joanie is celebrating her sobriety.
  • Steven and Tommy were recognized for stepping up to help out in the kitchen.
  • Talbot House celebrated reaching 0 positive COVID-19 cases in its latest round of testing.

November:

  • Monique, Keith, and Simon celebrated birthdays!
  • Stevie started a new job at Fred’s Market.
  • Adam received the medical attention he urgently needed.
  • Dennis achieved 30 days’ sobriety.
  • Tomeka is learning to make choices that make her stronger.
  • Jane is enjoying the cooler weather this month.
  • Alfredo received praise for his exceptional work keeping the campus neat and tidy.

October:

  • Margaret is working to overcome her addiction with healthy coping mechanisms.
  • Nicole is 7 months’ clean!
  • Otis is benefiting from the Good Samaritan Free Clinic’s services.
  • Stevie started orientation at his new job this month.
  • John is making great progress toward his GED. He has another month before final exams.
  • Brian interviewed for another job, and said it went very well.
  • Kelley is 8 months clean.
  • Zach received a job offer.

September:

  • Vanessa starts school this week! She is pursuing her GED while also working full-time.
  • Santiago had a job interview that went well.
  • Carl started a full-time food service job at Lakeland Regional.
  • John found relief from pain in his knee and is feeling much better.
  • Otis turned down an offer to return to his old lifestyle, and is committed to building a better future.
  • Kelly’s daughter is back home.
  • Helen got a job at Denny’s as a server.
  • Pablo is new to Talbot House, and will be finishing up his last year of high school while staying with us.
  • Yolanda recognized for her “above and beyond” work ethic, and for taking up a leadership role in laundry.
  • All staff are back on campus after a long stint working from home.

August:

  • Stanley celebrated one year clean and sober!
  • Kelly returned from quarantine, and is grateful for her health and the opportunity to re-focus on her goals.
  • John, Carl, Yolanda, and other residents did a great job hosting political meet-and-greets.

July:

  • Residents visited Sam, who is working as a caregiver across town and is doing well.
  • Helen and Yolanda led an integrated AA/NA meeting that was very popular.
  • Carl and James received their voter’s registration cards in the mail!
  • Santiago started taking security certification classes.
  • Randall was glad to return to the Celebration Recovery group, which is practicing social distancing.

 June:

  • Talbot House welcomed back staff who had been working remotely.
  • Troy is leaning on his faith to overcome depression, and recently had a job interview.
  •  In such turbulent times, Jessie says: “Talbot House is the safest place I can go right now.”
  •  Kenneth had a family member undergo a successful surgery.
  •  Coco is proud of the diversity of Talbot House’s community and is proud of how well everyone works together.
  • Jose expressed how encouraged he is to make significant life changes.
  • Carl encouraged his peers to use the skills Talbot House is teaching them to socialize with people on the job and become independent: “Let’s take these tools that we are provided and use them wisely.”
  • Helen realized that through real-world job assignments, she was learning to reject her previous mentality and be prepared for success.
  • Santiago will be celebrating his graduation from high school later this month!
  • Al celebrated his 67th birthday this month.

March:

  • Felisia and Lisa are moving into their own apartment as roommates.
  • Danny went to see his son and grandchildren for the first time in 37 years.
  • Helen recovered from a medical emergency and is relieved to be back at Talbot House Ministries.
  • James is earning cleaning certifications, which will help him in his job hunt.
  • Otis’s family didn’t recognize him at a recent event, because he was looking so healthy.
  • Justin is enjoying his new job at The Ledger, and is training to become a supervisor.
  • Stanley de-escalated a potential conflict by turning the other cheek.
  • Kelly is grateful for the volunteers who have been helping out in the laundry room.
  • Talbot House celebrated 100% attendance in its recovery classes!

February:

  • Jessie’s daughter and granddaughter came to visit him at Talbot House. They were impressed at how well he was doing.
  • Cheryl is grateful to have a roof over her head, and talked about how much she’s learned about respect and loving other people during her time here.
  • Gary went to see his son, who reached out for help: “I had to do it all on my own. I still have a chance [to be there] for my son.”
  • Rob is back at work!
  • Natoya passed her first security test with help from Solutions staff.
  • Cornelius received praise for his hard work polishing the floors throughout Talbot House.
  • David is moving into his own apartment!