Charlie G
03-01-2009, 02:19 PM
Recovery comedian Mark Lundholm held a private show at Joy’s House, a new sober house for girls that I opened in North Miami. It was for the girls there & some area treatment center counselors and friends that were invited.
Joy’s House is beautiful place on one acre of land with amenities that include a 60” Hi Definition TV, a house computer with wireless internet, a house phone with unlimited long distance, a volleyball court, BBQ and Jacuzzi. With only eight women staying there at a time – it is an oasis in the middle of the city (though I may be a...little biased!).
Mark Lundholm had agreed to do a show for the girls at Joy’s House the next time he was in town, while doing an interview with Charlie G, editor of It’s all in the JOURNEY recovery magazine. So, when he came to Palm Beach, Fla. to do a $1,000 a plate fundraiser for the Caron foundation at Donald Trump’s Mar a lago, he called Charlie G. to arrange to drive down to Miami to do the show he promised.
Think about that.
This is the essence of recovery, and of Mark Lundholm.
Here was a guy who’s fall to his bottom from addiction, and rise back up through the 12 steps included going from being married, owning a house and working a 9-5 job, to living in the streets, eating out of dumpsters and scrounging to survive, to being the foremost recovery comedian in the country – sitting with Donald Trump while being the guest speaker at a $1,000 a plate fund raise.
Here is a person in recovery who gave his word,
And kept it.
The atmosphere was charged with an energy that was palatable. It was a Friday, and instead of grabbing a sandwich to eat at their desks, everybody was enjoying Turkey & Swiss wraps, Chicken Wings & Shrimp Salad, while sitting under canopies in the backyard.
I have a feeling that they’ll be serving something else at the Caron’s fundraiser.
I also have a feeling that it won't taste nearly as good as our Costco party platters did.
Mark got up early to drive the hour down to Miami and arrived around 11:30 am. He could only stay for 90 minutes, because he had to drive right back to Palm Beach to do his Caron commitment.
It was the funniest 90 minutes ever spent on a Friday afternoon!
With a very different stage than the one he would be doing later that afternoon, Mark stood in the backyard of a women’s sober house with the sun as his spotlight, and talked of his addiction, his recovery, and how he survived to become the most popular comic in the recovery community, “Comedy is a tragedy with time added.” He also talked to the counselors in the audience, “Make me laugh when you talk to me and I’ll remember what you said for a long time. Yell at me, and all I will remember is the volume.” His routine was both hilarious, and thought provoking.
Afterwards, he took pictures with people (and took a InTheRooms t-shirt with him), signed a few copies of It’s all in the JOURNEY magazines with his interview in it, and then got into his car to start the hour plus drive back to Palm Beach.
I called him about ½ an hour later, to again thank him, and as we were talking I told him how much it had meant to everyone, especially the girls at Joy’s House. “Your words make people laugh, but they also teach and make us think.” I told him. “If you would be willing to commit to 700-800 words a month, I’d love to give you a column in JOURNEY magazine.”
He told me he loved to write, but would have to think about being committed to doing a column every month – his schedule was a bit hectic.
Driving from Palm Beach, to Miami, and back to Palm Beach in a 3 hour period to keep a promised commitment showed me that, and also showed me that if he did agree, he would have that column in on time every month. No matter what.
Yesterday I received an e-mail from Mark Lundholm. It had his first story attached, and a note:
Charlie,
Here is the essay for your magazine. I would be happy to commit to 6 months (6 columns) to start. Thanks!
Mark
So it is with great pride that I announce that It’s all in the JOURNEY has a brand new column starting with our next issue! The working title right now is: First thought wrong! And honestly? While I love having him in JOURNEY because he’s Mark Lundholm, the reason for the pride is because I have another person aligned with my magazine who is the essence of someone who has worked the 12 steps and is living by its principles.
Another bit of news , and another person living his life in recovery by the 12 step principles (how good can a day get?); last night I got a call from Ken Seeley, who you probably know from A&E’s TV show ‘Intervention.’ I interviewed him last week for our next issue (Mark & Ken in one issue – that’s going to be a good one!) and I really like the guy. He has 20 years clean and his top priority besides helping someone still suffering, is to grow closer to his higher power every day ( he meditates for 1 ½ hours every morning to help him get a closer conscious contact with God!).
As we were talking, I told him about a few calls I’ve gotten from family members of addicts and alcoholics who didn’t know what to do. We talked about the different needs of different addicts, and the need to get them into the right treatment - there are no cookie cutter addicts or alcoholics.
I know this personally.
The 1st rehab I went to was not the one for me; I walked out after 2 weeks and went on another run that lasted almost 5 years. The 2nd one is where I had an epiphany, and the thought “Maybe” peeped out from a long locked door inside my head. And we came to an agreement.
It is with great pride (again!), that I announce that we will be starting It’s all in the JOURNEY’S Intervention Services, with Ken Seeley’s company Intervention 911 as our partner! We will have a link on our website, so that anyone who has a friend or loved one that is still in active addiction, but not ready, or able, to get help – can find help.
Mark Lundholm is our new columnist and Ken Seeley is our new partner in our new Intervention Service…’If we are painstaking about this phase of our recovery, we will be amazed before we are halfway through…’
I am.
peace
Joy’s House is beautiful place on one acre of land with amenities that include a 60” Hi Definition TV, a house computer with wireless internet, a house phone with unlimited long distance, a volleyball court, BBQ and Jacuzzi. With only eight women staying there at a time – it is an oasis in the middle of the city (though I may be a...little biased!).
Mark Lundholm had agreed to do a show for the girls at Joy’s House the next time he was in town, while doing an interview with Charlie G, editor of It’s all in the JOURNEY recovery magazine. So, when he came to Palm Beach, Fla. to do a $1,000 a plate fundraiser for the Caron foundation at Donald Trump’s Mar a lago, he called Charlie G. to arrange to drive down to Miami to do the show he promised.
Think about that.
This is the essence of recovery, and of Mark Lundholm.
Here was a guy who’s fall to his bottom from addiction, and rise back up through the 12 steps included going from being married, owning a house and working a 9-5 job, to living in the streets, eating out of dumpsters and scrounging to survive, to being the foremost recovery comedian in the country – sitting with Donald Trump while being the guest speaker at a $1,000 a plate fund raise.
Here is a person in recovery who gave his word,
And kept it.
The atmosphere was charged with an energy that was palatable. It was a Friday, and instead of grabbing a sandwich to eat at their desks, everybody was enjoying Turkey & Swiss wraps, Chicken Wings & Shrimp Salad, while sitting under canopies in the backyard.
I have a feeling that they’ll be serving something else at the Caron’s fundraiser.
I also have a feeling that it won't taste nearly as good as our Costco party platters did.
Mark got up early to drive the hour down to Miami and arrived around 11:30 am. He could only stay for 90 minutes, because he had to drive right back to Palm Beach to do his Caron commitment.
It was the funniest 90 minutes ever spent on a Friday afternoon!
With a very different stage than the one he would be doing later that afternoon, Mark stood in the backyard of a women’s sober house with the sun as his spotlight, and talked of his addiction, his recovery, and how he survived to become the most popular comic in the recovery community, “Comedy is a tragedy with time added.” He also talked to the counselors in the audience, “Make me laugh when you talk to me and I’ll remember what you said for a long time. Yell at me, and all I will remember is the volume.” His routine was both hilarious, and thought provoking.
Afterwards, he took pictures with people (and took a InTheRooms t-shirt with him), signed a few copies of It’s all in the JOURNEY magazines with his interview in it, and then got into his car to start the hour plus drive back to Palm Beach.
I called him about ½ an hour later, to again thank him, and as we were talking I told him how much it had meant to everyone, especially the girls at Joy’s House. “Your words make people laugh, but they also teach and make us think.” I told him. “If you would be willing to commit to 700-800 words a month, I’d love to give you a column in JOURNEY magazine.”
He told me he loved to write, but would have to think about being committed to doing a column every month – his schedule was a bit hectic.
Driving from Palm Beach, to Miami, and back to Palm Beach in a 3 hour period to keep a promised commitment showed me that, and also showed me that if he did agree, he would have that column in on time every month. No matter what.
Yesterday I received an e-mail from Mark Lundholm. It had his first story attached, and a note:
Charlie,
Here is the essay for your magazine. I would be happy to commit to 6 months (6 columns) to start. Thanks!
Mark
So it is with great pride that I announce that It’s all in the JOURNEY has a brand new column starting with our next issue! The working title right now is: First thought wrong! And honestly? While I love having him in JOURNEY because he’s Mark Lundholm, the reason for the pride is because I have another person aligned with my magazine who is the essence of someone who has worked the 12 steps and is living by its principles.
Another bit of news , and another person living his life in recovery by the 12 step principles (how good can a day get?); last night I got a call from Ken Seeley, who you probably know from A&E’s TV show ‘Intervention.’ I interviewed him last week for our next issue (Mark & Ken in one issue – that’s going to be a good one!) and I really like the guy. He has 20 years clean and his top priority besides helping someone still suffering, is to grow closer to his higher power every day ( he meditates for 1 ½ hours every morning to help him get a closer conscious contact with God!).
As we were talking, I told him about a few calls I’ve gotten from family members of addicts and alcoholics who didn’t know what to do. We talked about the different needs of different addicts, and the need to get them into the right treatment - there are no cookie cutter addicts or alcoholics.
I know this personally.
The 1st rehab I went to was not the one for me; I walked out after 2 weeks and went on another run that lasted almost 5 years. The 2nd one is where I had an epiphany, and the thought “Maybe” peeped out from a long locked door inside my head. And we came to an agreement.
It is with great pride (again!), that I announce that we will be starting It’s all in the JOURNEY’S Intervention Services, with Ken Seeley’s company Intervention 911 as our partner! We will have a link on our website, so that anyone who has a friend or loved one that is still in active addiction, but not ready, or able, to get help – can find help.
Mark Lundholm is our new columnist and Ken Seeley is our new partner in our new Intervention Service…’If we are painstaking about this phase of our recovery, we will be amazed before we are halfway through…’
I am.
peace