I never knew anything about 12 Step programs until….a crisis fell upon my suburban “perfect” little family. The crisis is called “addiction”. My oldest child at 20 years old was in the hospital in a drug induced psychosis. We had no idea what to do or where to turn. I talked to anyone I could for advice and found a friend in recovery from alcohol addiction. My friend, Michael told me that if I wanted to change anything I needed to get myself to a 12 Step program ASAP. I am a middle child and an overachiever so I went in with a vengeance thinking the sooner I do this, the quicker my son would be “okay”. The first thing I learned was that the program was not about changing my son but about changing myself. At first I thought this concept was crazy but this crazy concept is what got me to a life brimming with peace and serenity. It was not an overnight process and was filled with many bumps along the way but it was well worth the work to get where I am.
For today, my son is clean from all substances for 4 plus years and I have my friend Michael to thank for guiding me to a place I never knew existed. To show my gratitude to Michael for always being there for me I bought him a Golden Footprints In The Sand Prayer Ring from Rush Industries. I attached a note that said: “When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you. Michael, thank you for carrying me and showing me the miracle of the program. With much love and gratitude…..”
Upon reading the card, he had tears in his eyes and said if it wasn’t for someone who carried him into program, he would never have been there to carry me. The message of the 12th Step is to Pay It Forward. Thank you Higher Power and Michael for guiding me and always being there for me. I am ready, willing and able to Pay It Forward and guide someone in need into peace and serenity!
