I’m almost 9 1/2 years sober. I started this journey with AA and then, later, carried it on with Celebrate Recovery. AA originated the 12-step recovery plan as we know it today, which has also been modified in other recovery groups. My first attempts at sobriety were not successful, that is, until I got deadly serious about it and got a sponsor….someone who had been taken through the 12-steps by another alcoholic. We related to each other. And, from that point forward, I followed his direction and worked the steps….gradually…..one at a time. It was frustrating at times. Other times, the process was very rewarding as I slowly blossomed in my sobriety.
I learned a lot of lessons along the way. Lessons on patience, trusting in a higher power, opening up to another person who’d been through what I was going through. These are lessons I learned from the program that help me through my day. These lessons are helping me now as I find myself coping, along with millions of others, this Coronavirus crisis. This has been a shock to my system. Yet, I fall back on my 12-step program tools and put them to good use daily. Because of that I am at peace and enduring this rather odd and trying time in our lives.
The one thing I had to learn was the simple fact that I’m not God and I’m not in control. This was quite a revelation for me then! I still remind myself that I’m not in control. So, knowing this, I give my worries and my anxieties about this crisis to God….one day at a time, one moment at a time. It works. I’m at peace. And as each day goes by, I feel stronger for it. He is my provider, and so far our needs at home are being met.
Patience was another thing I needed to learn in my early sobriety. I wanted to whip through the 12-step program and move on. Thankfully, God blessed me with a sponsor who told me to slow down, put in the work, be patient. Sobriety will come. Patience had never been my strong suit, but thankfully I listened to my sponsor and learned to cultivate it. Today, I STILL work on patience. I want to get back to work asap, I want things to get back to normal asap, but then again I know this will not come quickly. My growth in patience is bringing me peace and calm and the ability to get through the day. As I trust God, my patience continues to grow. I’ll always need to work on patience and I’m cool with that. It’s God’s way of helping me to grow more and more, and to continue to draw nearer to Him. Life and God have been, and continue to be, my two greatest teachers.
So, I look forward to each day patiently. I hand my worries to God as often as needed. I trust that He’ll get us through this…and I just continue to follow Him as I have for the last 9 1/2 years….one day at a time, one moment at time.
Always On My Mind by Les Westbrook 