Last night I was reading something from the Grapevine in the book Spiritual Awakenings. It was by someone, who said that they were unaware of a spiritual awakening for quite a while in their sober life. But then one day, when something worked out for them, they found themselves in tears and a feeling of gratitude. They were unaware of what was happening they said. But these moments became more and more frequent, as time went on. The urge to say “thank you” gradually brought them to see the spiritual awakening in their lives.
It reminded me of yesterday, as I sat in our monthly chip day. I had just received my chip and was thinking that there was nothing special about me. I had awakened one morning and it was probably the day I first got sober. Just another day and I was just another alcoholic, like everyone in these rooms.
As I sat there I was looking at a man, who I knew who had well over 40 years. Another man a few seats over was over 40 years. And there was another man in the room, who had at least as much time. And then I thought of my friend, who had over 50 years.
Then, as I looked around the room, I knew there were so many people with so much time that it was amazing. But mingled among them were people, who didn’t have all this much sobriety. Some a year or less. And some a day.
I couldn’t help but think what it was like for me, when I came into these rooms. I remembered that all the people in the room then were evidence to me that men and women came here and had gotten sober. They had gotten their lives back. They had found a solution. They had the power not to drink and I didn’t. And I wanted that desperately. Their example was what I needed. Hope. I had to be grateful and probably didn’t know it.
And there we were yesterday an example to the newcomer that this program works, if we work it. We were evidence to the new man or woman that there is a solution to the alcohol problem. That there is hope. The same hope I had found. That living a sober life must be worth it, or why else would people with so much time still be here in this room? And here I was, part of that. That very thought made me come up with the same words the author of that article had…”Thank you”.