Today we’d like to introduce you to Lynette Smith.
Hi Lynette, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My childhood had its challenges. I entered young adulthood pretty much on my own but from a very young age, I made decisions concerning my faith that helped me deal with the peer pressure and social issues that were common for us “latch key kids”. Spending most of my time in church and church related activities provided a much-needed escape from the crack cocaine epidemic that plagued my generation. Fast forward a few years, I’m a happily married homeowner with identical twins working as an engineering project manager for a fortune 500 company. I don’t even know when the wind started blowing but I certainly didn’t see the storm coming that ended life as I knew it. The winds of divorce, foreclosure and substance abuse completely destroyed my world and negatively impacted the lives of everyone in my circle. For the last 10 years, clinging to my faith was my only hope. Another failed relationship and the desperation of losing both my sons to the horrors of addiction and incarceration caused a dark cloud of depression to be my closest companion. Even while mentoring other young women in crisis and leading worship at my local church I walked daily with what seemed an unbearable grief. Grieving children that are still alive is a reality I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. What I didn’t realize at the time was that it wasn’t unbearable. I couldn’t yet see that I was bearing it. I was moving through it. I was growing. I was changing. I promised God that if He took care of my kids, I’d take care of His. So, I did. I helped whoever I could, whenever I could. This strategy kept me going. It helped me survive, but I still wasn’t living. The tide turned when I stumbled upon a recovery center near my home. Grit & Grace RCO helped me to realize that although I had faith, I had lost hope. Seeing people in recovery from substance use disorder gave me hope that my sons could actually recover and that we could be a family again. Even greater than that, I learned that my story mattered. I learned that I was actually IN RECOVERY. I learned that the time I spent healing from my childhood trauma, the tools I had gained to help me stop using people, places and things to numb the pain of missing my children, and the work I continued to do to help me love my sons through chronic incarceration and continued substance abuse meant that I was IN RECOVERY!!! This hope propelled me! I got certified as a Peer support specialist (CPS-P) and started helping parents with children in crisis. I volunteered and later became an employee of Grit and Grace RCO where I supported peers navigating through the challenges of re-entry from incarceration as well as sobriety. Becoming a CARES (Certified Addiction and Recovery Empowerment Specialist) and CPS-AD (Certified Peer Support Specialist- Addictive Disease) was my next step. This was life changing. Becoming a CARES not only opened my eyes to my purpose and career direction but helped me understand the disease of addiction like I never had before. All of a sudden, my eyes were open, and I could see the generational hand of cards my sons had been delt. I had now been given the tools I needed to love them through their journey. I now had language for what happened to my family, and families like mine all over the world. Today, as a CARES working at Stand Inc., and Worship Pastor at Park Place Church, I get the opportunity to support people in recovery as well as provide resources to those in our community affected by substance use disorder. I also have a Prison Mom Support page on all social media platforms where I talk about the unique experiences of moms who lose valuable years with their children to incarceration. Today, although some things in my life have not changed, I am full of hope that they will and until then, I’ll be the change in the lives of others.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
ABSOLUTELY NOT! I have missed my sons to the point that it felt like I could actually die from sadness. The isolation that comes from the stigma is a huge struggle. You always feel like the “elephant in the room”
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
This is an interesting question. I really consider myself in ” full time ministry” My job at Stand Inc., is to serve. As worship leader at Park Place, my job is to serve. I am most proud of the fact that I genuinely love what I do. I am grateful every day that I get to pour into the lives of people who need it most. What sets me apart from others is probably the fact that I sing. I believe that music is not only healing but it brings people together, so I often sing as part of my recovery groups.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I see Peer Support growing as an industry because it’s useless to create programs and legislation for people in recovery without the input of the recovery community themselves. Georgia is at the forefront of that growth and I’m proud to be a part of it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://standinc.com/
