Genesis House

04/01/2026

Last night we had the honor of graduating our 78th graduate, Miss Mandi.
We are very proud of her commitment to her recovery.
Getting a graduation date at GH is not an easy feat, but what you choose to do after graduation is the most important.
We are excited to watch Mandi grow and change as she transitions out into the real world.
We love you sis. Congratulations!
P.S. Mandi's goal at GH was to get her "💩 in a group" and she decided we all needed theme shirts for the night. Thanks for the laughs.

03/31/2026

It's duck Derby season!
And we need your help!
Let's hit this duck Derby out of the park.
Please check out the comments section for more info.

03/24/2026

Here is an incredible opportunity to work in recovery!

Leverage your lived experience and make a real difference in your community. Harrison County Lifelong Learning is hosting a Peer Recovery Coach Certification, offering you the chance to support others while growing in your own recovery journey. This in-person training covers Recovery Support Fundamentals (April 27–May 1) and Recovery Support Ethics (May 13–14), with sessions held from 9 AM–5 PM.

Spots are limited, and full attendance is required to complete the program and become eligible for certification. Interested? Contact hstrange@soinworks.com to learn more or sign up today!

03/21/2026

Kick your habits kickball game was a huge hit tonight.
The weather was perfect. The music was blaring. The kiddos were jumping. The corn hole boards were going.
We served up hot dogs, nachos and popcorn for concessions.
We are so grateful for the beautiful space and the perfect weather for this event.

03/18/2026

Sometimes our work requires specialized training.
There isn't anyone else I'd rather team build with other than these incredible ladies.
While you see my face the most, just know that these seeing women are standing right behind me helping to make things happen.
I'm so proud of their commitment to their recovery and to their jobs.
Also need to say you probably don't want to mess with any of us because between axe throwing, laser tag and boxing, we're pretty big contenders.

03/16/2026

Today we would like to congratulate our 77th graduate. Miss Janice!
Miss Janice chose not to have a graduation ceremony, but we want to celebrate her nonetheless.
She has been such a blessing to the house and has provided more community service hours than any previous resident.
Thank you for your commitment to your recovery and to the recovery community.
Congratulations!

03/10/2026

Tonight we welcomed graduates 75 & 76.
Congratulations Miss Natashia and Miss Janet.
It was no easy feat but they stuck and stayed on the hard days and pushed towards personal goals along the way.
The community showed out and we had a full house, including 17 graduates in attendance.
It's such an honor watching these ladies bloom.

03/07/2026

We had a wonderful evening at the spring women's conference where we heard about the Dreamgiver. We learned that we were created on purpose, for a purpose and how to lean into that purpose. We are blessed to have so many incredible women in our community that support us and welcome us.

03/04/2026

We are SO grateful for our partnership with Lifelong Learning.
Yet another one of our residents has obtained her GED!
We also have a group of graduates currently working on their peer support certification through them.
Congrats Natashia! We are proud of you sis.

02/26/2026

Have you ever cleaned a fish tank before?
Today was the day at GH. Ours was past due for a good clean out and let me tell ya, it's a long, hard, messy, back breaking process.

Throughout the morning I couldn't help but think of how much the process mirrored the maintenance phase of recovery.

When you're early in recovery you're excited. You look forward to going to meetings and working with your sponsor. Early recovery is fun, new and exciting. (Much like a new fish tank that you're eager to set up and maintain)

But after you've been in the rooms for awhile and have a little time under your belt going to meetings becomes just one more thing you have to do after a full day at work and with your family.
Eventually it can become a chore that you justify and put off, telling yourself that it's okay. You're happy. You're sober. Everything is going right in your life and you don't "need" a meeting or that phone call check in with your sponsor. (Much like a fish tank losing its luster and becoming something you just walk past and ignore many days)

Eventually you may decide that things have gotten "bad" enough (the algae has taken over the walls and a smell can be detected in your tank)
And you're ready to jump back into your steps to find the spiritual freedom recovery can bring.

Cleaning up your recovery requires commitment. You have to set aside time and make it a priority. You must gather your strength (and maybe a few friends and support members) and jump in with both feet. (Much like gathering the buckets, pumps, scrub brushes, etc to clean the tank)

Much like recovery, you must follow the steps and do it thoroughly:
You can't add fresh water until you drain the old.
Also know that adding fresh water without giving everything a good scrub will leave the tank dirty still with the only difference being a little fresh water.
And lastly, you must allow time for things to settle and the water to warm up before it's safe. (If you rush the steps or don't work them properly your recovery is not on a solid foundation and the mess is still there lurking under the surface)

When you've completed all the steps, thoroughly and in order, you can sit back and see the fruits of your labor. You will shine, much like your squeaky clean fish tank and others will be drawn to you. People will want to spend time with you, just as they will spend time admiring the fish tank once again.

But of course, this cleaning is only temporary and over time the process will need to be completed again.
Recovery is a just for today program. We are encouraged to work our program every day in order to maintain our recovery and prevent it from getting nasty, messy and in need of a full overhaul.

Maintenance is key my friends.

02/25/2026

Last night's class took us to the races!
The ladies were divided into teams with instructions that they could choose 4 cars of any size, shape or weight each and that they had full creative freedom and the ability to use anything in the room (tables, chairs, books, bags) to their advantage.
The teams then played recovery trivia to earn handicaps to give them the upper hand (launcher, boosters and loopty loops).
They worked together to configure a race track that they thought would successfully get a variety of cars from start to finish every time.
They rotated stations to try out each other's tracks.
Next, they were asked a series of questions:
What did they notice when building? Racing?
What was the hardest part?
What surprised them?
How did they feel?
At any point in time were they discouraged? Did they compare themselves to others?
What do they wish they did differently?
Then we flipped the script and talked truthfully about recovery.
It's not all butterflies and rainbows. Sometimes we fall off the track, maybe even flip over. Sometimes we're going too fast or too slow. We might lose momentum from time to time. Often we don't understand what we're doing or supposed to be doing. Maybe we were over ambitious and made the loops too big. Maybe we cheated ourselves and didn't give enough space to slow down. Maybe life threw in a curve that just didn't fit, or that we weren't ready for. We rarely know what to expect from race to race. We learn what works and what doesn't through trial and error. Sometimes we break... and have to rebuild. Sometimes we tear the whole thing apart in a fit of rage because we're frustrated or overwhelmed. Sometimes we get lost and it might take us weeks to find the track again. Some cars we underestimate and some we put too much stock into. We look at others with envy because they are faster or shinier. The analogies can go on and on. But one thing is for sure. If you show up each day and give it your best shot, practicing, working and making adjustments, you will eventually get through the whole course (12 steps) . And once you do, you can do it again and again and improve with each pass. Then, you can help others achieve the same success with your determination and perseverance. Recovery is not a race. The important thing is learning and laughing along the way. Life's too short and we aren't promised tomorrow, so enjoy the little moments and don't focus so much on the end game.
Life's a race track my friends.
Race on and have fun! (Just for today).
P.S. Ricky Bobby lied. You can be second or third or fourth and still win. As long as you get back on track when you fall off and you keep the momentum.