Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Wednesday in Late Summer

This is the chapel in Vail where I went to Mass on Saturday night. It was very simple, and very beautiful.

I have spent the last two evenings with a sponsee who is having great difficulty surviving her life. It is heartbreaking as I have known her for a very long time and have never seen her like this. Sometimes I wonder if there is any limit to the cruelty we can inflict on one another. She has been on the receiving end for long enough to just about take her out. But she is sober, and she is still alive and trying.

Tonight I will hear the fifth step of another sponsee. It is always an honor to be able to hear a fifth step.

Sometimes sobriety feels like a happy lark, full of laughter and unbearable lightness. Sometimes, like these, it feel infinitely grave, full of life threatening danger. But we walk through both kinds of days, one foot in front of the other. We stay sober.

And when we get to the other side, we say "Whew! Wasn't THAT something?!"

By the grace of God, we stay sober.

2 comments:

Syd said...

I am glad that you were with the sponsee who is in a dark place. I hope that the light will shine on her soon.

Sober said...

A calm and thoughtful post. Thanks for sharing.