God Grant Me the Serenity...

God Grant Me the Serenity to Accept the Things I cannot Change, Courage to Change the Things I can, and the Wisdom to Know the Difference....

This is how EVERY Alcoholics Anonymous meeting begins, without fail.  The Healing Place of Wake County was the subject of my last Blog because it is my Go Gives Back charity.   I’m going to piggyback on that because as they say, “timing is everything.”   On Wednesday, the day after posting, my husband and I were invited to an Open Speaker’s meeting at the center.  This was an opportunity where those in recovery open their door to people such as my husband and I and allow us the chance to hear their stories and see what recovery is all about.  

Coming from my background with my parents work in the field and my father’s 35 years of recovery, I knew what to expect,  but this was Gary’s first experience.  He was very grateful to have been present to listen, observe and learn from these people.  He witnessed people actively working to improve their lives with intention.  I listened to the  speaker talk about his journey, while at the same time found myself glancing around the room observing those present.  What I saw was a wide cross section of our society.  There were young kids no more than 18 years old, old men and women, whites, blacks and hispanics.  There were those with education, money, and then those that you know have had a hard life on the streets.  The young man that spoke, spoke with the passion of someone much older, someone who has lived a long time.  Yet he was only 22 years old.  Addiction does this.   

What was very apparent, besides the fact that they all have their addiction in common, is that they have each other and they have God, who is critical to their sobriety, or as they say, their Higher Power as they see Him.  What we felt and witnessed was that they all have a story, they all have a journey and they all have each other to raise them up on those hard days and give them the support and hope they need to Live One Day At A Time.  We were so grateful to have had the honor to witness this room full of Hope.

Photo Courtesy of summitmalibu.com