I apologize for not blogging for the last two weeks, but I have just been overwhelmingly busy trying to plan and organize this trip we are going on. We really can’t afford to go, but my husbands eldest daughter is getting married and he has to be there to walk her down the aisle. So, since we are going we thought we may as well get as much bang for our buck[s] as we can and we are going to make this our annual trip (which we didn’t go on last year because we couldn’t afford it).
Unfortunately, our little guy, Carl, has started kindergarten and can not miss 3 weeks of school so he will not be going with us. Fortunately, I have made a few good, trustworthy, reliable friends in recovery and one of them is going to stay at my house with her kids in order to take care of Carl, the dogs and the house. Thanks Annette! Gee, your swell!
First we are going to West Virginia so that Jim (my husband) can show me where he was born; then we are going on down to Florida to see my aunt Joanne (whom I have not seen in 15 years and Jim has never met); then we are going up to Delaware for the wedding and I will take a side trip to New Jersey to see some sorely missed friends while Jim visits others from DE; then we will head to up state New York to see Jim’s brother Carl and [hopefully] my other aunt, Mickey (she’s in her 90’s, but she travels a lot); and finally on the way home we will make one last pitstop in Ohio to see our friend Jay.
All of these stops have taken a lot of time, phone calls and effort to co-ordinate, but I’m hoping it will all be worth the effort and that we will be able to enjoy ourselves and not be exhausted from all of the driving. Especially since we don’t know when we will be able to afford to take another trip [if ever].
We were going to leave today after Carl got home from school so we could say a proper goodbye to him, but then I realized that [yesterday] it was my 2 year anniversary in NA and there is no way I am going to miss getting my long awaited, black, multiple year key tag, my hugs and my props too, yo. Dig it, dawg?! So we will be attending the meeting tonight, coming home and resting for a few hours and then departing around 3 AM.
I gotta’ tell ya’….these anniversaries (birthdays) have become important to me, and not just my own either, but everybody’s. Every anniversary that anyone in the program(s) is celebrating brings me a sense of joy and hope and renewed strength because, whether it’s a newcomer celebrating their first day or an old head celebrating 30 years, it continues to show me that this program works if you work it and all I have to do to work it is to not use.
What could be simpler than that? I mean it. It really is as simple as it sounds and I have seen proof that it is possible. I know several people who are going through some truly trying times right now and if anyone ever had a good "reason" to use it could be anyone of them and so far none of them have.
One of those people is fairly new in recovery and she is the one going through the toughest stuff, the kind of stuff I would never wish on my worst enemy, and she is holding up by utilizing her sponsor and her support network, going to meetings, sharing and by just plain not picking up. I hope she is one day able to be as proud of herself as I am right now.
She may not realize it, but she is leading by example. Leading not just those newer in recovery than herself, but also those who have come before her who may be struggling. I can’t wait for her next anniversary so I can celebrate with her, but that doesn’t mean I will wait until then to encourage her to continue doing the next right thing. I will encourage everyone to keep doing the next right thing as I strive to do so myself on a daily basis and hopefully we will all get to continue celebrating, not only our anniversaries, but everyday that we are granted.
I hope to attend some meetings while we are on the road because I know that even when we are home if I go more than a few days without one I feel as though I am somehow off kilter. Which is a good thing [in a way] because it shows [me] that I am becoming more aware of the things that have an affect on me, no matter how small.
Anyway, I certainly don’t want to be off kilter, especially on the road. I need to continue to take the steps that enable me to remain clean and one of those steps is going to meetings. "Which, we all know, are conveniently held at a venue near you wherever you may be", she said in her announcers voice.
Remember, it works if you live it & keep coming back!
Christine C. (me)
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