arrived on my cell phone last evening from a number I didn't recognize and there was no name announced...remembered this cell is a replacement so my original one died a time back...it read, "I drank 6 steinlagers today. I am just struggling and need to figure things out. im gonna stay out of AA for a bit. try church for while get my faith back. MAHALO for all the support and I will be back when I feel ready to commit. Love you guys."
I responded "Let me put a name to the reach out...this is Jerry F. What are you struggling with that Steinlarger couldn't fix"?
No reply as of yet and then it was a broadcast I believe and I won't be the only local member stepping up and available. I look at this as a lesson. I hang with relapsers and my sponsees have more than one trip to the table. For me that is a "yet" issue and I need to be mindful of my response even though Steinlarger wouldn't be a consideration for me. I have no situation or problem hat booze or church would solve and make better. The program has always done that for me. I am where HP wants me to be.
Won't expect a response...I'm powerless.
-- Edited by Jerry F on Thursday 21st of August 2014 03:21:37 AM
Nice share Jerry, thanks. A good illustration of how we would have reacted in that situation and how we react now. I could see the two paths for myself: getting all worked up, trying to figure out who it is, texting them again, etc. OR accepting that I'm powerless, and I have done my best to help.
Yeppers...that is the vision. I like the lesson it provided me also about first steps and alternatives to drinking as a solution. I also use to attend church making sure that it didn't interfere with my drinking events. We'll see if the he or she texter reaches out in a future meeting and not a cell phone text.
In my experience, God responds to those that seek God, in a way that best serves them at that time. Though I may not see it that way, or understand it.
As servants, we get messages/visitors/etc, sometimes for us alone, or for us to reply to. In either case, the encounter was meant to be.
In most cases I do a mini step 11 before any response. By doing so, it increases the chances of me following my conscience (God's will).
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"... unless this person can experience an entire psychic change there is very little hope of recovery." Dr. Silkworth. (Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Ed. p.xxix)
