A year ago today, I spent in utter despair over an desperately ill alcoholic friend. If you would like, you can read the post from that day here. Today, I attended the meeting where she celebrated one year of sobriety. I actually came back from Vail a day early so that I would be there. I just love this woman and I am so thrilled that she is sober.When I got to the meeting, I had a bit of a sick feeling. The room was packed. She had flowers and cards. I worry that sometimes we over do these first birthdays. I have seen a few who never came back after that day. I pray she will be there on her 366th day as well as her 365th. Because there will be 24 hours in tomorrow as well as today.
I met with one sponsee this morning and one sponsee tonight. I am so grateful for these women. What an honor it is to be allowed into someone's life to that extent.
Tomorrow I will go back to work. I took today off. It turns out I really needed the day off. I am so sore from that race! And the migraine lingered into this morning. It is now gone, thank God.
So, that's what I have for today. 24 beautiful hours to stay sober in. And I am looking forward to my next 24 hours tomorrow. By the Grace of God I will go to bed sober tonight and wake up sober tomorrow. I hope you all do too.
8 comments:
Wow! I'm thankful for her sobriety. I gotta say, though, I've never heard of a sober birthday like that. Flowers?! My first was to stand up, say I'd been sober a year, and get a coin from my sponsor. Pass it around the room and that's that. Every birthday I've ever seen has been like that. Except for the ones in LA, where there's a single cake for everyone in the meeting celebrating, and it's coated with wax and spit at the end and nobody eats it.
I wouldn't want a sober birthday like that. It's not really about me, is it? It's about the group, about the higher power, and about the newcomer, who can see when we celebrate that it works. I don't know. I wouldn't want a big deal made. But I wouldn't want it ignored either.
Sleep well.
Good for your sponsee. Birthdays in Al-Anon are mostly not recognized, except for a couple of groups here. One is my home group. We are glad to have some fellowship and a chance to eat cake!
I went back and read the post and I remembered it. Glad you got some rest.
I'm late, but congrats on the race. I've never run in altitude, it makes it so much harder. Good on you, Mary!
I hope your friend has a great second year sober. I remember that post.
Oh, a friend brought me flowers on my last birthday (last month), and I got a card or two, but I worry about all the attention. We alcoholics don't handle it well.
Oh Mary, a friend bringing flowers is obviously a fine a wonderfully kind thing... I meant some big shindig at a meeting is something I wouldn't want.
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