Are you sure?
This bookmark will be removed from all folders and any saved notes will be permanently removed.
A whole new horizon
It was late in the summer of 1987. I was at the lowest point of my life. On that August morning as I walked through the piney woods of Spearfish Canyon in the Black Hills of South Dakota, I knew that the judge I would face that day in court was going to sentence me for the felony charge of possession of a controlled substance. I asked myself, "How did a nice girl like you wind up in such a dreadful situation?" How had I gotten to the point that I was going to go to prison?
As I looked back over the previous 15 years, I couldn't believe how far I'd swerved from the path I'd started on as a young girl from a lovely family. Although I'd attended our local Christian Science Sunday School until I was 18, somehow I'd drifted away from the wonderful spiritual teachings I'd grown up with. As I got into my 20s, my friends were all experimenting with drugs, and I just didn't see how harmful that could be. Along with drifting away from my life-long spiritual values, I also began to seek medical attention for health problems. Before long, I found myself abusing the prescription drugs I was taking.
Along the way, I got married and had two wonderful children. For a number of years, on the outside our lives seemed as typical as those of most young families. But on the inside I was living a nightmare of growing addiction. Eventually the turmoil this caused affected my family. The children began spending more and more time with my parents, and my husband and I divorced.
Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.
About the author
Kristin enjoys writing and exploring Spearfish Canyon near her home.
December 29, 2003 issue
View Issue-
Journeying toward spirituality
Bill Dawley
-
letters
with contributions from Pauline Fisher, Jean Gallaway, Doris Dalrymple, Barbara Whitewater, Patt Mayer, Linda Cook, Dee Mahuvawalla
-
items of interest
with contributions from Julia Fields, Cynthia Lambert-Nehr, Lynne Meredith Schreiber, Lisa Skolnik
-
Life–transforming JOURNEYS
By Margaret Rogers
-
A whole new horizon
By Kristin Christensen
-
Getting ready for Mark
By Patti Waterson
-
NEVER OUT OF GOD'S PROTECTION
Mark Zundel-Waterson
-
A life INSPIRED by the Basotho
By Matt Diver
-
OPENING to new VISTAS
By Adam Scherr
-
Building blocks of healing
By Ingrid Peschke
-
Time to get out of the boat
By Kim Shippey Senior Writer
-
GUIDED BY GOD
Mary Helen Black
-
Truth-telling and satsumas
By Fenella Bennetts
-
What do you hear about the flu?
By Rebecca Odegaard
-
Prayer heals the effects of a mugging
Dee Miller
-
A satisfying approach to physical fitness
Alexander Workman