You will often hear the phrase around the rooms, ” there was this one person who reached out their hand to me.” I know when I think of those early moments in sobriety one person comes to mind, his name was “Les.” He was Australian and a very professional looking fellow. He walked up to me and shook my hand, then he wrote down my number. this was a Sunday and I was due to be released from detox the next day. I had raised my hand earlier, identified myself and shared that I was scared to death about going home and not knowing what to do. Several men approached me after, but he seemed like someone that I maybe wouldn’t mind talking with, you know how judgmental we are when we first come in the rooms. I knew I was in trouble and something had to change. I went home the next day and hid in my bed terrified of my disease, probably for the first time in my 30 year career as an Alcoholic. That Monday evening my phone rang and it was “Les.” He asked me if I would like to go to a meeting the next day, and that he would pick me up, and sure enough he did, as he continued to do for the next six months, Not only did he pick me up but he introduced me to my first sponsor “Nino.”.
This is the power of one person caring enough to extend his hand out and become of service to another. I have carried on this simple gesture throughout my days in sobriety, trying never forget that day, and remember the power he carried in his simple hand shake and a kind heart and smile. This was a message of depth and weight that carried in the power of one.
Peace Out: M copyright 2014