🎉 Happy Birthday, Sober Spirituality! 🎉 (Erin Jean Warde)

This week my book — Sober Spirituality: The Joy of a Mindful Relationship with Alcohol — celebrates its FIRST BIRTHDAY! 🎉

🎉 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SOBER SPIRITUALITY! 🎉

Hey y’all,

I can’t believe it… My book came out a year ago today!

I want to start by saying: Thank you so much for your support. I say this often, followed by, “I can’t possibly thank you enough.” And I keep saying it, because it keeps being true — from the bottom of my heart, thank you; I can’t possibly thank you enough.

If you haven’t grabbed a copy yet, it would mean the world to me. If you have already gotten a copy, my heart overflows.

And if you HAVE read it, would you consider leaving a review on Amazon? Even if you didn’t buy it there, you can leave a review. Leaving positive reviews is a huge way to support authors!

I wish I could tell you it has been a perfect year since then, but no perfect year exists. I have battled tons of shame voices, telling me a variety of different painful messages…

Maybe if I had not said ____ it would be selling better.

I bet if I had added a chapter on ____ people would like it more.

You know, ____ made it on the bestseller list, but you can’t even hit 100 reviews on Amazon.

It would be better if your book was MORE provocative, then it would go viral.

Your book was TOO provocative, and it has turned people off.

The great news is that I know what a shame voice sounds like, so I know when shame is speaking. Yes, these are fears I harbor and face, but I try not to give them pride of place in my heart, because I know where they come from.

And also, because I know I did my best. I know that, while I was writing this book, I was fervent in prayer. I know that I met with my spiritual director regularly, because I wanted this to come from a place of goodness. I know I told my story the best I could at the time.

I also know that the gift and terror of our lives is that they change. There are things I could say differently now, ways I could add or subtract if given the chance. So yes, I have changed since I wrote this book, and thank God for that, but I’m still able to return to its words and know they were offered inside my integrity, for which I’m deeply grateful.

And that’s all I can do — offer my self, my life, my story — while staying inside my integrity, with God’s help.

When the shame voices are really loud, I try to take a second, place my hand on my heart, and pray with gratitude for everyone who has supported me on this path. Please know, that means you. I pray in gratitude for you. Thank you for helping me return to the voices of goodness and gratitude when shame tries to take me over. You help me stay grounded within my knowledge of God’s love for me, and again — I can’t thank you enough.

So, happy birthday, Sober Spirituality! I am deeply grateful for this book, for how it has changed my life, and how it will keep changing my life. <3

Love y’all,
EJW

EJW COMING TO SEATTLE! (May 4 & 5)
I’m very excited to share that I will be headed to SEATTLE in May for a variety of events at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral! I will be offering a workshop on Saturday, May 4th and preaching + offering a 20’s & 30’s event on Sunday, May 5th! I’ll be preaching at the 9:00AM & 11:00AM Sunday services. If you’re in the Seattle area, I hope I see y’all very soon!