Bridges Of NY Blog

This season holds a special place in the hearts of many. It is a time for friends and family to gather and experience the joy of Christmas. The first Saturday in December, the residents of the Freeport house participated in the church’s Advent Light celebration by setting up the live nativity, as well as baking 150 cookies for the event. It was a great start to the holiday season. On Friday, December 11th, the Mom’s Group and Women’s Ministries from the Church of the Intercessor also shared that spirit of Christmas with the residents of the Freeport House.  They gave them the opportunity to do something special for that special someone in their lives. It is the true meaning of Christmas; the chance to be a giver and not a taker. The Women’s Ministry and the Mom’s Group donated a variety of gifts, wrapping paper, bows and ribbons for the residents. They helped them wrap presents share with their families.  Coffee, tea and hot cider were served along with cookies and other baked goods. There also were trees to be trimmed and decorations to be hung. Bringing the joy of Christmas to those who need it this holiday season is the most special gift of all!

On December 1st, the houses in Freeport and Newburgh showed their appreciation for a great man who by his own example proved “every man can change.” Frank Costantino was a career criminal until he found God while in prison. It changed his life and his words were so compelling that it changed the lives of many others while he was incarcerated. After he was released in 1972 from the Florida Department of Corrections after serving time for burglary, he opened up the first after-care resident program in Orlando, Florida, upon determining something was needed between prison and society to bridge the gap. What started as local ministry has now become a worldwide vision that serves more than 10,000 inmates and offenders annually.

In our Freeport and our Newburgh residences, everyone came together to take part in Founder’s Day. We all celebrated with a special meal as we learned more about the origins of Bridges.  Various peers shared their personal testimonies, and also spoke about what it meant to them to be a part of this amazing legacy.  We watched a video where Bishop Frank Costantino recounted the beginnings.  From both houses, many expressed they had not been aware of the history behind Bridges but found the experience insightful and appreciated hearing fellow members of the house speak.  

Improvements are in the works at the Freeport House. The staff has been making efforts to refurbish the basement into a more usable space. The concrete has been poured and the dry wall is going up. They are building a work out room in the basement for the residents to use. This was made possible with the help of a Skelos Grant. The residents have also pitched in to make other improvements such as repainting many of the common spaces. It is breathing new life into the house. The staff couldn’t be more excited by the progress.

We at Bridges wanted to give a special thanks to the bikers that made this run such a success. Every year for the past 19 years Alliance MC has shown such amazing support for Bridges of New York. Each one of them has a story that rings true with those who have been or are currently in our program. The run started at Eisenhower Park at noon and as all the bikers gathered, it became apparent as to just how many believe in this cause: the cause to heal those battling against substance abuse. It was hard to tell the exact number of bikes that were there but there had to be at least a hundred or more. As the pack left, four bikes deep, the thunderous roar and ground pounding awesomeness of that sight was truly breathtaking while they mobbed up and found their place in the line.

So many of us get caught up in the past, past issues, past relationships, past mistakes, etc... We tend to give away our thoughts and energy of today to days and events that no longer exist. We tend to lose sight of our true power and purpose. We lose sight of the truth that we are free to change - to refine, improve or enhance ourselves at any moment. One moment can propel you to success and happiness or chain you to failure and misery. Break free of self blame, criticism, and disempowerment limiting your thought. We all make mistakes, have struggles, and ever regret things in our past.

You are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future. Today, many will awaken with a fresh sense of inspiration and leave yesterday behind, why not you? Today greets you with no rules or conditions. The only requirement to see all it has to offer is to live it full out. Each day brings immeasurable blessings and opportunities for happiness and success. Like a gift, beautifully wrapped at the foot of your bed each morning, today asks that you open it and enjoy everything inside. It's when we continue to look into the box of yesterday or last year or ten years ago that we feel depressed, trapped and defeated.