Saturday, June 25, 2005

We all need a hug once in awhile!


Friday night AA is a great end to my busy week! I get all the hugs I need there.
We had a small group last night but we did some heavy sharing. The subject was "principles before personalities".
That covers Tradition twelve: Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place priciples before personalities.
Alot of times there are some people that show up that we don't "approve" of. Their lifestyle is not a good lifestyle, they keep going out getting drunk then come in the meeting saying they want to quit but can't. So who am I to say I don't "approve" of them? I was one of the rare lucky ones that quit and stayed that way! I have a very close friend that was sober for 12 years then had a drink last June. She told me she had one sip of wine. I smelled the sour smell of drinking through her pores before that. She was approached by someone else that told her they smelled alcohol and she denied it. That was two months before she admitted to taking that drink of wine. She came to one AA meeting after that but never came back. She says she is not ready. She ended up getting fired from one job and got mad at me because I knew about it before she told me. She hasn't talked with me for at least a month. I found out she got fired from her other job so I called her to see if she was ok, and we spoke for awhile. I didn't ask her if she was drinking, I just told her "to thine own self be true".
I was coming home from Camano Island last Wednesday night and stopped by her house. She had on a large t-shirt and nothing else, she was not wearing her teeth. She looked horrible! She doesn't take care of herself, she is in a huge depression and is just waiting to be evicted from her house. She is waiting for the telephone company to turn off her phone and the same with her cable. She is 58 years old and is just sitting there waiting for something to happen. I went home depressed as heck! I prayed about it and the next day I went to work and called a few friends and they feel the same as me. She has just shut us all out of her life. She lost her mom about three or four years ago and has not recovered from that loss. She lived with her mom and took care of her. Her mom died from Alzheimers.
I called her doctor yesterday and told the nurse my concerns. I told her that she is depressed, and her father and brother both committed suicide. I told her about the alcoholism and was worried for her safety. I told the nurse that she is now in their hands to help if they can.
I cannot just sit here and watch her die like this! I love my friends and this one has taken so much out of me! I cannot let her live with me and I refuse to give her money.
Everyone needs to take a look at their life once in awhile and say THANK YOU LORD!!
I do every night!
Whew, this is heavy, but that is what went on with my life yesterday!
Have a great weekend!!

Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.