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I have been away for some time and Just wanted to Speak a Bit about How things have done a 180 in my Recovery World of Worlds, as Some here know I came from an Alcoholic home and Found MIP weeks after I lost my AFather to this Disease... I have 4 Siblings (All A's), and I Have many of A-Generations before my Afather, Both sides of my Tree...
When I Landed here, I was going to Find a Cure to "Save My Baby Brother" From Alcohol, (He's Currently our "Biggest" Drinker/Addict) but HP Had another Plan...HP's Plan got ME Sober instead... I'm Coming up on 8yrs, this fall... and I was Always Told... "Keep Coming Back and Your Miracle will Happen!" Well if I'm Honest... I thought you ALL where CRAZY! LOL :D Because I Believed, Miracles where for Other People... and I Always Felt Unworthy of...
Welp Long Story Short... My Baby Brother is Still Drinking, HOWEVER... My Older ASister, (Who I Truly Struggled with ALL My Life) Is Now I Believe Coming up On 4 Years SOBER... My Own AMom This Feb is Now 2 Years SOBER... and My Baby Brother did not give up the Alcohol "Yet" but has Been 4 weeks without Marijuana... AND... This Year, My Older ASister Ask me to Introduce her To Al-ANON... and She is Going Weekly, (To a Separate Meeting Then Me!)
ALL MIRACLES!!!
Now I have been here Long enough to Know, their Journey is NOT My Journey, but I have to Say it Feels Pretty Darn Good to Say that I Believe My Recovery has Lead the Light to theirs... My Sister has even Said that She has Watched the Changes I've Made and She wants the Peace She Sees in Me NOW! a Peace that Never Existed till I Landed HERE... MIP...
If I Had Not Been Working My Program, If I Had Not Taken a Leap of Faith and Handed My Life Over to HP (not that I don't Slide backwards somedays) I don't feel these Miracles would have Brought the Healing it has...
I Now have a Relationship with my Older Sister, I have NEVER Had! Based on Mutual Respect... We Still have our "Sisterly" Moments where Old times and Resentments Come up, However Now... I Feel we can Talk about them Instead of Stuff them and Pretend they didn't happen... We have A Long Way to Go in the "Trust" department, but I Know HP isn't done with us Yet...
I Never would have Dreamed, that My Journey would have Opened the Doors, or even Small Windows in my Afamily... I have had to Accept that Maybe I Don't know it All... and that When I Put My Program & My Faith in HP's Hands... Amazing things Happen...
What a wonderful share to wake up to, Jozie!!
Congrats on your 4 years of sobriety! Keep coming back!
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"The wolf that thrives, is the one you feed." - Cherokee legend
"Hello, sun in my face. Hello you who made the morning and spread it over the fields... Watch, now, how I start the day in happiness, in kindness." Mary Oliver
Beautiful Share Jozie I can so identify. Since practicing the program, my relationship with my Family has become filled with compassion, love and understanding.
I no longer take their inventory , have unrealistic expectations of them and have learned to "Live and let live". Thanks for the reminder and welcome back
Love, Love, Love it Jozie - way to work it and practice these principals in all our affairs! I can so relate to the disease 'all around me' and not believing in miracles. Yet, here we are a few 24 hours later and I can't say that any longer - I see and hear of miracles every day!
Keep doing you and your recovery - Congrats. on both programs and grateful you're a part of my recovery journey!!
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Practice the PAUSE...Pause before judging. Pause before assuming. Pause before accusing. Pause whenever you are about to react harshly and you will avoid doing and saying things you will later regret. ~~~~ Lori Deschene
I agree with all he family has said to you here Jozie with one add and I hope you consider it...Put this in the Al-Anon Forum monthly reader and the AA Grapevine reader...please!!! Great share and very close to my own story with the exception that my families...both sides didn't appreciate the fact that I got recovery in both programs. They got angry I guess they thought I was spilling the beans. (((((hugs))))) Mahalo Piha soooo much.
And Jerry, I Can Honestly say when I Got Sober there was NO ONE in My Family Happy about it, NO ONE... Because Apparently I was Breaking "Family Tradition" so I think that is what the Miracle was, when Others decided to Find Sobriety...Because at One time early on in my Sobriety Many wouldn't speak to me, it was Like I went from Being a Part of the A-Flock, to the Black Sheep Pretty Quickly...lol Just Very Grateful HP Hung in there and gave me the Strength to Carry on ;)
And though Many are Double Winners... I Found All My Sobriety in Al-Anon and the Al-Anon Program.. :) The Closest I've come to AA is Here on the Boards, and thru the AA Books, and ACOA Books, Our Area is very Limited on Meetings, and we have NO ACOA meetings at all Sadly... But I'm Grateful that I have Many that Work Both Programs, so they Help me Work both as well ;)
The Blessing is Ours, All we have to do is Show Up, Don't Give Up, and Give all to HP :) So Worth it...
Thanks for Being here All... We are ALL WORTH IT :)
((("Jozie"))) That is very close to my experience also. I was visiting my younger brother once and called the AA hotline in his town looking for a meeting and he asked me "Who are you calling". Just after I told him he shouted "YOU ARE NO...AN ALCOHOLIC". I understood his reaction. He wasn't the first in our family to have it. The program made differences between relatives but never became an issue to quit "keep coming back". I have much empathy for those who need what we have received yet never have found it. Keep on keeping on. ((((hugs))))
and that When I Put My Program & My Faith in HP's Hands... Amazing things Happen...
