One of them came from prison. One was in rescue work herself at a mission in Seattle. Two were previously roommates and fellow drug addicts. Now, all four – Kim, Sue, Keri and Jessie – make up a tight-knit sisterhood in the Women’s Recovery Program at Anna Ogden Hall – encouraging, supporting and holding each other accountable on their road to recovery.

Interestingly, the women said they’re not sure they would even be friends under different circumstances. Kim can be intense and loud. Keri likes quiet and time alone. Jessie is older than the others. Sue likes Harley Davidson motorcycles. Kim has an eight-year-old. Keri’s a grandmother. Their personal brokenness, however, draws them together.

 “We come from four entirely different corners,” Kim said. “But even with vastly different experiences, the healing hurts in the same way.”

 “We pray together a lot,” Jessie said – over courts dates and custody issues, over past abuse and loss, over children, grandchildren and the future.

Sue and Keri were an invaluable support to Kim at the graveside of her sister who committed suicide. “A lot of people are uncomfortable with each other’s grief,” Keri said, “and so they want to say something . . . but I think we’re all pretty good at just being present with each other, letting each other know it’s ok to be ourselves.”

 “This is the first time I’ve ever felt like there was somebody who actually spent time with me because they wanted to be with me,” Kim said, “not because of what I could give them or what I could do for them.”

Sue added that she has learned how to be secure in the friendship even when she’s alone: “When I got here, it was discovered that I had huge abandonment issues.” She felt jealous and angry when she wasn’t included, but “these girls have come along and, as my sisters, have made me feel so comfortable that . . . even when I’m not with them, I don’t feel left out anymore.”

The women stressed that their sisterhood is not picture-perfect. “It’s sloppy and messy and ugly sometimes,” Keri said. But, then, it’s not about being perfect. It’s about being honest and real and standing alongside each other through it all.