To The Moms - It's Amazing
 

I went to a church service tonight at the Salvation Army Chapel in the program that my son is doing. It is in a bad area of the city, but is a terrific program. There is a shelter next door, and a few from the shelter were at the service too.

Anyway, as I looked around the chapel at the men, young and not as young, something very strange happened. I saw all our sons, and a few daughters too. I saw Josie's boys, MG's son, JT's son, and the sons and daughters of all of you moms here. I saw something that we have all seen in our sons - hope.

They were pretty clean, many of them in the Walmart jackets that we bought them to keep them warm this winter. They all wore battlescars of pain and desperation, and they were singing their hearts out and praying from the bottom of their souls.

I wanted to hug each one of them and say "I know your mother", because even though I may never have met their mothers, indeed I do "know" them.

The final hymn was "Amazing Grace" and when they got to the verse "through many danger, toils and snares, I have already come...'twas Grace that saw me safe thus far, and Grace will lead me home", I felt this HUGE lump in my throat because I truly believe that is the Grace of God that has kept our children alive and that His Grace can lean them home.

And I walked out of there even more convinced that God loves every addict and has special angels to watch over each one of them.

Just had to share this - it made my night beautiful and thought you might like to know that your boys were in church, at least in spirit.

Anns,

I am so glad you were able to go to that church service. I'm sure your HP had a special blessing for you in mind when he took you there. And I'm sure HE is smiling now as he sees you spreading the message of hope to not only those in attendance, for you did that just by attending, but spreading the message of hope to everyone who will read your post.

And more importantly, HE is giving the message of hope to our addicted loved ones. NOTHING is impossible if we put our trust in the Lord.

Thank you so much, Anns, for sharing the message of hope with all of us. Why we as humans have to be so hard headed is beyond me! My HP has said he will never leave nor forsake us. So why in the world do we keep butting our heads against that brick wall when all we have to do is turn our problem over to the man with the MASTER PLAN?????....:)

Hugs, Anns. Your post touched my heart.

Hangin' In

Hugs back at you Hangin'.

I can't describe the good feeling I got there (I guess it shows here), but I just got a whole new perception of how God truly is there and how much He cares. And instead of seeing a room full of addicts and street people, I saw our children. Real people with names and mothers and souls. It was truly touching and uplifting.

And I said a prayer for every one of them and our children too.

Wow Anns
How awesome for you that you had that experience. Isnt it great how our HP speaks to us thru others and thru situations?
There are no coincidences in my God's world... you were meant to be there and to share your experience, strenghth and hope with the rest of us.

HUGS to you. Love to you and your son... all our sons !!
Osier59

****{Osier}}}

I have missed you and hope you had a wonderful birthday. You know, I almost didn't go tonight. I was tired after work, it is really cold out, and I would have prefered to stay cozy.

But I also felt a need to go to church and my son is really great about inviting me to share these things in his recovery, so I went.
And you're right - it wasn't any coincidence. Sometimes God has to lift me out of my chair and put me in the car, but lead me He does. And I am so grateful for the "knowing" that everything is okay.

In one of my favourite books, "A Prayer For Owen Meany" the main character is funny little Owen who has an unusual connection to God, and when questioned about his unshakable faith he replied " I don't know how I know, I just KNOW." I feel like Owen tonight.

Hi Anns!

I just wanted to let you know how much your post touched me.

God IS there for each and everyone of us for sure! Without him I would be very lost!

Thankyou,
matters

Hugs to you Matters

The more I look for God, the more clearly I see Him. And I see his works right here on these boards. We didn't all get our strength from One-A-Day vitamins.

Thanks for the HUGS Anns!!

We get our strength from our Many-A-Day Friends, each and everyday sent from God!!!!!

God loves you and so do I,
matters

(((((Anns))))) - thank you for that beautiful post - it brought tears to my eyes. The way you described it made me feel like I was there too.

Love and hugs.

BTW, I'm watching Steel Magnolias and I have the remote ALL TO MYSELF :D

Ohhh - Steel Magnolias is one of my favourite movies!!! These boards remind me of those ladies. We are all so very different, but together we make such a beautiful bouquet of recovery.

And I felt like you all were with me tonight. I wish you all could have seen them. Quite an assortment - and hope on every single face.

<bgsound src="http://bwieland.com/music/amazing%20grace.mid"loop=3>
You know you need to bring the tissue before you post something like this. sniff sniff

Hugs,
MG

Anns,
This is the first post I read tonight,
and Amazing Grace is my favorite spiritual
song. I was totally unprepared for this, and the tears are flowing.
Where there's faith, there's hope. I wish I
could have been there with you, but I know
we were all there in spirit.

Love and hugs,

Anns, your post reminds me of something I read on this board months ago.

You know how SO MANY good things are written here. I've gained so much knowledged and received so much support even when people had no idea they were helping me through their words. But I can't help think about the time I came here and was reading all the posts like I try to do daily. Someone wrote something very simple, oh, so simple. They said something to the effect that every addict is a child of God.

It was like God was saying it just to me to remind me that my daughter, addiction and all, is still just as much as child of God as I am. And EVERY child of God is special, no matter what their problem. Ever since that day, I've looked at my daughter differently. And I find this all so ironic. I was raised in a christian home and we've raised our kids in a christian home. We are active in our church. And I can't tell you how many times I've heard that we are all children of God.

This just confirms to me that God provides what we need when we need it. And that day I was reading that post, He knew I needed to be reminded that my daughter belongs to Him. Guess God knew that sometimes this ole gal just is slow to catch on to something she'd been taught her entire life....:) So glad HE doesn't give up on me nor my daughter.

I get that same hope from open AA speaker meetings. Just hearing where someone has been, what happened and what it is like now lifts my spirits every time.

A while ago I posted about feeling in grace. Feel it Ann?

(((Hugs)))
JT

I sure do feel it JT and it is great. You know, we've all been on quite a journey with our addicts and with our own recovery, and we've had a lot of bad days and hard times.

But to tell you the truth - I wouldn't trade my life or my journey with anyone. It's times like this that make every bumpy road and detour worth it. I know that I wouldn't have what I have today if not for this journey. And I am grateful. And I will remember this during the times I feel hopeless. I know that I just have to wait and let life unfold as it will.

anns Please consider yourself hugged!
 

A post like yours is just what all of us need to hear anns...Without the love and hope of God where would we be.

It is so wonderful when one of us not only sees it but feels it as you did and then shares with the rest of us, who may not be able to see or feel it at the moment, that the message of love and hope continues to grow.

Thank you so very much. Your sharing is what helps the rest of us...

God bless.

Dear Ann -

You have such a way with words, I feel as though I really was there with you, in heart and soul. A goosebump moment ... thinking of all our children and us moms under one roof, God's roof. Faith and hope will see us all through this.

Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful experience.

hugs and love,

deedee

((((((((((((anns))))))))))

glad i stopped in tonight. for awhile I had been on
a kind of alanon manic high. high on the program
high on life, and this week my A daughter that i
thought was working the program is still drinking
and i started the what do i do about my son who
wont realize he has some mental problems (which i
am only recently coming out of denial with myself)
and I start over telling myself again and again I am
powerless, tonight i have felt ticked off about it.

Thank you for sharing what i believe you saw with
spiritual sight.
I know God is with them, I just cant always "see".

love
liddy

liddy

I am sorry for the sadness you must feel right now, and I know that I had to go through all that too before I could actually believe that God cared. Just know that He watches over you and your children and will take care of all of you.

and Deedee - just sending hugs for all the times you propped me up when I was slumping. Thank you.