First off the weather was spectacular - warm and sunny. The perfect start to a great spring day.
I went to a women's recovery day with my sponsor and two of my AA friends. It was so moving to have 400 women gathered together to share their experience, strength and hope. I heard so many positive messages today. This is what keeps me coming back.
I was asked to chair one of the workshops. Who woulda thought I'd ever be able to do something like that?
The key note speaker at the end of the day blew everyone away with her story. The day she had her last drink started out as a normal Saturday. She had plans to go to a friend's wedding. Little did she know that afternoon as she got dressed up and ready to go celebrate in the couple’s happiness, that another friend, her very best friend would be killed by a drunk driver later that night.
After the reception ended she gave her friend a ride home. She was the designated driver as many of her other friends had lots more to drink and she was the most sober. There was a lot of traffic as she tried to get on the highway so she decided to drive her pick up truck over the grassy shoulder to get onto the entrance quicker. In the dark night she couldn't see the dark patch of rocks that caused her truck to tip over forwards. Her friend died instantly as her head hit the windshield.
The speaker was the drunk driver.
She had killed her friend.
After a long trial she ended up going to prison and spent 5 years there. That is where she got sober and attended her first AA meeting. And she had remained sober, rebuilding her life and dedicating it to educating high school students thru the M.A.D.D. program.
That could so easily been me. But for the grace of God I was never in a crash, and I never got a DUI. And that's not to say I didn't drive drunk because I did many, many times. When I was in my early twenties and thought I was invincible and then later in life when I was over 40 and my drinking had taken over my life. I drove drunk with my children in the car. Why, why did I ever think that might be ok to do?
God saved me so many times and for that I am so grateful that I wish I could truly express in words how precious and loved my sobriety is. It is the most important thing in my life because without it I have nothing else.
I was so inspired by today that this afternoon when I got home I worked on my Step 4 worksheets and I think I am finished! Whew, what a relief to have finally completed this task after worrying about it for so long.
I went to another meeting tonight, one of my favorites of the week, mostly because we go out to dinner afterwards. I don’t know if it was the full moon or what, but it was such a fun evening of laughter and goofiness and good stories and people being honest and real.
I may have mentioned this before but the fellowship is such a blessing in my life. I love my AA people dearly and they inspire me to be a better person.
Life is good!
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