St. John Client Testimonials & Poems

We'd like to share some words and poems that we have collected along our own paths of growth and recovery.

They have special meaning to us and we hope you will feel the same.

We invite you to share some of yours with us.

On Learning to Do Better

I walk down the street.
There is a hole.
I don't see it.
I fall in.
It isn't my fault.
It takes a very long time to get out.

I walk down the same street.
There is still a deep hole.
I pretend not to see it.
I fall in.
I pretend it's still not my fault.
It takes a long time to get out.

I walk down the same street.
There is still the same deep hole.
I see it.
I fall in anyway.
It's a habit.
I get out quicker this time.

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole.
I see it.
I walk around it.
I don't fall in.

I walk down a different street.

-- Portia Nelson

On Fear

"We have two kinds of fears. One is a fear that whatever is going on is going to go on forever. It’s just not true -- nothing goes on forever. The other is the fear that, even if it doesn’t go on forever, the pain of whatever is happening will be so terrible we won’t be able to stand it. There is a gut level of truth about this fear. It would be ridiculous to pretend that in our lives, in these physical bodies, which can hurt very much, and in relationships that can hurt very much, there aren’t some very, very painful times. Even so, I think we underestimate ourselves. Terrible as times may be, I believe we can stand them.

"Because we become frightened as soon as a difficult mind state blows into the mind, we start to fight with it. We try to change it, or we try to get rid of it. The frenzy of the struggle makes the mind state even more unpleasant.

"The familiar image is a children’s cartoon character, like Daffy Duck, walking along freely and suddenly stepping into taffy. In a hasty, awkward attempt to extricate himself, he might fall forward and backward and eventually be totally stuck in the taffy. Even children see a better solution.

"The best solution would be the nonalarmed recognition, ‘This is taffy. I didn’t see it as I stepped into it, but I felt it after I got stuck. It’s just taffy. The whole world is not made out of taffy. What would be a wise thing for me to do now?'"
(from It's Easier Than You Think: The Buddhist Way to Happiness, by Sylvia Boorstein

Some Native American Wisdom

A Native American elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner:

"Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time."

When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied, "The one I feed the most."

Other People's Expectations

"The only man who behaved sensibly was my tailor; he took my measurement anew every time he saw me, while all the rest went on with their old measurements and expected them to fit me." -- George Bernard Shaw

The Rules for Being Human

1. You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for the entire period this time around.
2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a fulltime informal school called life. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think them irrelevant and stupid.
3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial and error, experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that ultimately "works."
4. A lesson is repeated until learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.
5. Learning lessons does not end. There is no part of life that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive there are lessons to be learned.
6. "There" is no better than "here." When your "there" has become a "here" you will simply obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here."
7. Others are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.
8. What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.
9. Your answers lie inside you. The answer to life's questions lie inside you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.
10. This will often be forgotten, only to be remembered again.
(Cherie Carter-Scott)

"I was driving down the street thinking it was time to drop you a note to let you in on where I am in life.
I am experiencing real love for the first time. I didn’t know that it could be like this. I have allowed this man to love me and I have let him into my life with no walls, and not at arms length, I have really let him in. I am now expressing my feelings thanks to you and all that you have taught me. I allow myself to be me. I can honestly say I don’t think I have been happier other than the day my daughter was born.
My weight is down 38 pounds from my first visit, THANK YOU!!!!
The tools you have taught me are priceless and I plan on using them the rest of my life, thank you for answering the phone that day when I was scanning the phone book for help, you have truly changed my life for the better."
Heather

"I have LOVED working with Sharon. She is kind, warm,
gentle, and tough at all the right moments. I've enjoyed
doing the assignments she has given and they have led me
to a deep understanding of myself and my reaction to "my
world." When I have been in my own "crisis," Sharon has
shown compassion and understanding while guiding me to
accept my strengths and weaknesses as a part of who I am.
The best thing is she has given me hope and led me to
understand that "being me" is a strong, capable, smart,
talented, and unique woman . . . as Sharon would say,
"Never underestimate the lady with the resume!" Mrs. A"

STEPS

Up and down and up again
For each step I must fight
And the end I'm headed toward
Is not yet in sight

But this road I have been on
For many long years
I have laughed so hard
Just to keep back the tears

I have felt so alone
So tired and so weak
Longing for a helping hand
Or a familiar voice to speak

Words of understanding
Comfort and peace so sweet
Letting me know I wasn't alone
In the face of defeat

I would pray to God above
To make my wish come true
I closed my eyes in hopes
They'd open to something new

If this could truly happen
For someone so torn and weak
Nothing could stop the tears of joy
That would forever fall down my cheek

Now I pause to look back and
I start to see the beauty in each step
And although I still don't see an end
There is now light up ahead

Behind me there is pain
And grief it is true
But ahead there is peace
A feeling that is new

Looking at each time I fell
And then stood once again
I see the helping hands
That came from a friend

They helped me to keep going
Even though I felt broken
And now after so many years
Sweet words are being spoken

Words I thought could never come
From voices so cold and dark
I never knew a change could come
To the emptiest of hearts

But now looking back
On footprints left behind
I see how it is possible
For even those to find

A new way to love
To wipe away tears
To comfort and grieve
And laugh away fears

And even though I know
Together we'll make mistakes
I now see the miracle isn't in the end
Its in the steps that we take

By Caron 3-2007

" I have LOVED working with Sharon.  She is kind, warm,
gentle, and tough at all the right moments.  I've enjoyed
doing the assignments she has given and they have led me
to a deep understanding of myself and my reaction to "my
world."  When I have been in my own "crisis," Sharon has
shown compassion and understanding while guiding me to
accept my strengths and weaknesses as a part of who I am.
 The best thing is she has given me hope and led me to
 understand that "being me" is a strong, capable, smart,
talented, and unique woman . . . as Sharon would say,
"Never underestimate the lady with the resume!"

Debbie

"When I needed counseling after my dad's death and a lifetime of
depression and anxiety, I looked on the Internet.  I looked at all the
LPC s on my insurance plan, and was drawn to Sharon.  I feel like I was
meant to see her.  After my first appointment, I walked out of her
office so full of hope.  I knew I had found my safe place.  With a lot
of help and a lot of HARD WORK, I have found the real me.  Thank you
Sharon.  I will always be grateful to you for helping me find my way out
of the dark and into my light."

Michelle H.

Recovery is that state of being,
In which, I hope to soon declare,
It is that total place of acceptance within,
A true knowledge, I long to share.

It is a place in life I have longed for,
Yet one I would so quickly fear.
A total peace of that pain inside me,
A name attached, with every tear.

A final break of this ancient levy,
A resolution from all the shame
A chance to finally see myself
Outside, this disorders name.

It is not about being weary
In those times of temporary defeat
It's about humbling more and climbing high
A continuous focus on that victory seat.

It is the positive connection,
Between a memory and a tear,
The total ability of letting it all go,
A total revelation, once I get there.

It is talking softly with the vessels on my path,
Holding hands with the ones, I love
Biting my tongue, to see another grow,
Knowing that genuine acceptance is enough.

It is voting secretly for the others' success,
Crying together in the midst of a trial
Looking deeply at each others' heart,
A forever breaking of this denial.

It is a continued acceptance of another's pain,
Selflessly supporting them to succeed
Experiencing that unique opportunity
Of seeing that one transformed and forever freed.

It is the final place of being,
That tears climb down my cheek
A present knowing that I am ok
And enjoying life, with each passing week.


by Cari

"My time with Sharon has been wonderful.  I have been involved in
personal one-on-one counseling with her for some personal needs and issues
and she has been very good to me.  Aside from being patient and
understanding Sharon provides a warm and comfortable environment for the
sessions to take place.  I have also been involved with some group counseling
with a couple of workshops that Sharon has done alone and also with
Ben.  These workshops have also been beneficial because they help provide
real examples that we are not alone and they are also fun ways to do
therapy."
  
Joshua Tanner
 

"Sharon St. John is the most caring person I have ever met in my life.  She not only makes me feel very comfortable but she truly cares and goes out of her way to help me.  I have been seeing her every Friday for the past two years and look forward to each and every time.  She doesn't just send me on my way and forget about me when I walk out of her door, there have been many times that I have gone back to her for another session and she has researched and found information for me in regards to things I am struggling with.  If she wasn't really concerned about her clients she wouldn't go our of her way to do those kinds of things.  Sharon isn't in this profession for the money but for genuine concern for people and being able to help them.  She is never judgmental but always understanding and helpful.  I call her my Savior on Earth and I truly feel that way about her!!! "

Sharon B.