Recovery is Evident
I had an interesting experience upon my return from Wonderland. As I was withdrawing some money from an ATM machine in a local convenience store near my house, a lady who has worked there for some time and was familiar with me approached me and indicated that I had been gone for a while and that she missed me,. She then asked if I had gone somewhere to get help. I was a bit taken aback for two reasons, one that she would recognize my extended absence as hundreds of people must walk through the doors of the store everyday and two, that she would presume that I had gone to get help for my substance abuse. Now it is fair to say she was aware that I was a heavy drinker as I purchased a lot of alcohol from this store. But her inquiry was one of clear concern, sincerity and she said “I looked very good”.
A week or so later when that same lady was working the register and I was purchasing my usual stock of diet coke and diet Rockstar, she stated to me that, prior to my stint at Wonderland and return to Baton Rouge, she felt that my spirit walked with angels but that she could tell that my heart was lost and that she prayed consistently that God would help me to find peace. I found this truly astounding that someone who was merely an acquaintance could have taken such an interest in me and volunteered such information unsolicited.
On my next visit, I engaged the same lady in conversation, she commented that here comes that sweet sweet man as I approached the register. She was very close. Again I was stunned that she had taken such a continued interest in my well being and truly seemed to care about my welfare. She further indicated that she had often talked about me with her co-workers and was truly concerned about my welfare and was very much relieved to see that I had gotten help and found some element of happiness and hoped that I continued on the sobriety path that I had begun. I am not altogether sure what the moral or message is in this story, but it is truly evidence of our impact on others in life whether we recognize it or not and that there does exist some higher power that perhaps makes itself known through others.