Tazman53

Tom when I hear stories like thank I thank God that I was not the monster who killed that child.

Insanity is spoken of in the BB, I am the father of 6 and grandfather of as many as well yet alcohol took me to places I swore I would never go, I drank and drove daily, I drove drunk quit a bit, there was more then one occasion when I was amazed I got home without wrecking. For some reason, obviously with hind sight I know the reason..... insanity I always thought that it would be the other guy out there driving drunk that would screw up and not me. I did total one truck drunk, thank God it was a single vehicle accident.

If I had of killed someone would I have been able today to not accept responsibility for my actions due to my disease? Hell no, I made the decision to drive, insane or not it would have been my fault...... I am not sure I could forgive myself of that ever.

Tom you ask if I could forgive someone who killed a child of mine while they were drunk? I have to be honest and say I could not do it immediately ( I would not drink over it, why add to the death toll), having taken the path I have in life I could find compassion for them, but forgiveness is something that would take a lot of work for me, prayer and time and even then I am not sure if I could ever totally forgive even though I know that there but for the grace of God goes I.......

You know "there but for the grace of God goes I" that right there might allow me to find forgiveness eventually. Tom keep in mind that it is progress and not perfection.

nandm

Your story reminds me of a news story I saw a few weeks ago, only it had a happier ending. Here in Portland, 911 dispatchers recieved a cell phone call from a child in the back seat of his mothers car. He was reporting her for driving drunk. She was stopped and arrested. The child has been temporarly placed in foster care. I am amazed that as many times as I drove drunk with my children in my car that I did not cause the death of any of them. Just goes to show it could have been anyone of us. Makes me even more grateful for my sobriety when I hear of these things.

sugErspun

Are you able to pray for her now? (That was the original issue I believe....)


~Adam

barb dwyer

Hey Sig -

Just a quick look from the window of my world (a/k/a -
'left field)

Did that story ... affect you?
Did the experience of someone else... make you appreciate your own situation differently?
Did it make you think of an aspect of your own life and love that maybe you'd taken for granted until that other person's experience touched you?
Did it make you look at yourself - and see perhaps something that needs to be strengthened, or elimated in order to do the Will of the God of YOUR understanding?

How many hundreds of others might have been affected in similar ways?

The God of our understanding ... knows us so much better than we know ourselves.
So may others are placed before us as teachers.

The giveaway of one - affects us all.

I don't think we're always SUPPOSED to 'resolve' every . single. experience. Not all in one bite. I think some experiences ... are to be carried with us, to ponder and pray about.


'From the One .. to the many ... and from the many... to the One"

Thank you for sharing that.

Signal30

That would be a yes times 4, to your questions. I always get sensitive when I hear stories of children getting abused, hurt, or killed. But then again most of us do. A part of it was anger towards myself for doing stupid things like driving under the influence with my son in the car, with my own pride making me think I was just "buzzed" when I drove.

I was able to pray for her. The funeral for that child is today. I of course also pray for the family, friends, etc.


Tom

lostmdboy

By the Grace of God there go I. During my drinking I could have been that man. I did not like to drink and drive, but on occasion I did it. I am just thankful that my HP was looking out for me.

barb dwyer

You are a good man, Sig.

Thank you for not thinking I was preaching.

It's the only way can ... cope with that kind of news sometimes.

Sometimes people come into this world ... for what their actions will teach others.

At least that's the only sense I can make of it.

ps - I like the new avatar.

Missymae737

Barb said it true, it is all about life lessons...

I would like to share this story.

I have a cousin who lost her seventeen year old son due to the friend who was drunk driving...For years she could not find any joy in life......She began to drink and drive and finally ended up a year in jail...She got five DUI offenses...

Did this make her a monster? I think not...This is the ugly side of addiction...

She has been sober for five years and now has meaning to her life...

I shudder to think how many people I could have killed out there...Am I a monster? I think not...

This is a good topic...It shows the ugly side of addiction and shows a lesson to be learned...

Thanks for sharing...:ghug

Signal30

Another possible reason for this resentment is because of my job. As many of you already know I work in law enforcement. Unfortunately this career I picked can sometimes be a magnet for resentments. That is why I am blessed with the tools AA has given me to counteract those resentments. I have to see a lot of parents doing a crappy job on raising their kids.

It makes for a lot of praying, for a lot of people.


Tom