I saw a Phoenix Rising, when you walked in through my door...
Your mind and body ravaged, your heart needed so much more..
There is a higher power, calling to your soul..
The strength so deep within you...
I saw but you had to know....
The tears the laughter , the ever- afters..
that brought us all so close...
The drug the dream that brought us here...
Is another sad overdose...
Of something else deep down in our souls.....
from "Phoenix Rising" Nancy Northrup
Several years ago, an angel walked into my life in the form of a strong-willed, determined, kind,empathetic woman...small in stature, with a heart of gold. Her name is Clara MacNamee and she is the inspiration for not only my song "Phoenix Rising", but a woman I call "friend" in the deepest sense of the word,and the inspiration in my life.
I first met Clara when I was hired to teach at a specialized school named Phoenix Academy in Marin County. I had been in education for many years, and was looking for something different...some place where I could really help the most at risk youth. Some of my fellow educators thought I was crazy to give up teaching college prep students and work with the "more challenging" population, but I felt I was being drawn to this position. Clara began this specialized charter over 25 years ago to work with youth who were addicted. It was a one of a kind school. It embraced the twelve-step program, along with a rigorous educational plan, and counseling.
During the years I worked with Clara, I saw miracles on a daily basis. Each day was a struggle for us all. The daily ins and outs of battling the demons of addiction, along with the normal ups and downs of a teenager's life, made each minute unpredictable. There was anger and joy. There were tears and triumphs. Clara told me she had been to one too many funerals of young people battling the disease of addiction and committed each waking moment to making her school work and face the dragons of addiction. Her commitment went way beyond the normal school day, as she made her students and their families, HER family. No one will ever know how many lives she has touched, but Clara never wanted the attention to be on her. She would remind me.."Nancy, it isn't about you or me, it is about them"....
On the first day Clara opened The Phoenix Academy over 25 years ago, a young person, who was drug addicted, jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge. From that day forth, Clara did everything she could to be certain that didn't happen again, but we know how powerful the force of addiction is, and not all students made it. The students who did are now, doctors, lawyers, teachers,mothers, fathers, and all made it, because of the desire of one woman with the determination, love and strength to change lives. These students still stay in touch with Clara....and she is always there for them....
The Phoenix Academy is no longer an institution, due to budget cuts and issues I won't go in to, but the torch was lit, and so many lives have been changed because of a courageous woman who has changed my life in so many ways, as well. I am blessed in that I have never struggled with addiction, but I have lived with and know those who have. It is a disease, and those who can make it "one day at a time" are the most courageous people I know. Our students taught us so much.....that even though they acted tough, they were so very afraid...even when they pushed us away.....they needed a hug...even when they told us they hated us...all they needed was love and to know the "strength was within them that we saw, but they had to know"....
"Let there be no more lost lives, from the war within us all , and take our love and share, to tear down these endless walls....We see a Phoenix Rising...."
Peace,
Nancy
www.nancynorthrup.com
