Stepping Stones

Marilea grew up in a small Massachusetts town. Her marriage took her overseas where she lived with her husband and children in the Foreign Service. Divorced, she taught English as a Second Language in Virginia for seventeen years. She and her partner, Gene, still visit New Mexico regularly where they lived for a decade after retirement. When she’s not writing, she sings in a small women’s choir. Music is a big part of their lives, and Gene plays several instruments with local musicians. Marilea also does volunteer work in twelve-step organizations. They have fruit trees and a garden where they enjoy working. Whenever possible they still get away to enjoy hiking, skiing, and canoeing locally. Most of the year is for grandchildren, boats, and salt air—with daily walks on the beach—at their home on an island in Puget Sound. Marilea received her Master of Arts (Reflective Practice) in Teaching. In 2013 she joined Story Circle Network and began writing down and publishing her life stories. They have appeared in several publications, among them the SCN Anthologies, their Journal and their blog, “One Woman’s Day.” Much of her full-length work exposes a lifelong battle with substance use disorder, and the writing itself has proved to be cathartic and healing. Marilea has a website www.recoveryofthespirit.com where she has blogged on the topic of substance use recovery since 2014. Her memoir, Stepping Stones: A Memoir of Addiction, Loss, and Transformation is an inspiring tale of two journeys: her outward journey paralleled a sacred inner journey, where she sought a state of harmony and grace. Hers is a story of family fragmentation and years of emotional illness that led to various forms of substance use disorder and sent her spiraling at several points into madness. This is the story of her courageous struggle to fit the pieces together and, in the end, find her own road to happiness.