Raven Bird's Word on Sobriety

It occurs to me today to say a few words about my sobriety.  It's been 22 years, 4 months, and 15 days, this day.  I sometimes don't notice this length of time because I know it's quality, not quantity, that really makes the difference.  Staying off of alcohol has been the easy part.  It's all the "substitute" addictions that have been the difficult part.  Nobody told me about those; had to stumble  into and onto them myself.  At the end of the day, I found I'd gone through $250,000 dollars, sold a home I still wanted, sold a yacht I purchased for $50K for $30K, you know, stuff like that.  But also something else happened.  God never left my side.  He pulled me up time after time from self pity, loneliness,  despair, looking for whatever in all the wrong places.  Finally it took going through all that loss to realize an incredible gain.  Some of that gain was self assurance, self respect, self esteem, and self love, a full time job with the USFS, a home, great truck, you know . . all that stuff.  Self love.  I came to know unless I truly love me, I don't "get" the unconditional love part of anything.  I learned that if I don't "take care of myself", I can't care for anyone else, or anything else for that matter.  I learned that when I truly love me, I'm doing what God expects of me, because through me comes His love to others.  I learned that unconditional love is His perfect love is perfectly loving through us to one another. How cool is that?  Wow!   What a concept!  My sobriety today is enriched by being active in a Christ centered recovery program.  CR.  Check it out.  Want to know more?  Ask me about it. 

Another terrific thing that's happened, I reconnected with a very dear American friend from my years in the Fiji Islands after thinking we'd lost each other.  She lives in the State of Washintgton.  This awesome husband of mine has a home in Oregon.  And that's another story for another blog.   

Other than that, life is happening here in this home, and all the places my awesome husband and I reach out to.   My family has grown from four children to 3 living children, 2 step children, 4 grandchildren, 7 step grandchildren, there're two daughters-in-law and 2 sons-in-law, 1 grandson-in-law, step daughter-in-law, step son-in-law, 2 of the step granddaughters are married to our two step grandsons-in-law,  And the most incredible new small person addition to my family is my 5 month old great-grandson!  AND I have a new brother.  Good grief!  Hope I haven't forgotten anyone!  Talk about holyday (holiday) changes.  My 72.11/12ths years of my life have been "not boring" ...  and the one thing I've always asked of God is please make my life "not boring"!  Oh, and by the way, this "awesome husband"?  God also sent him to me.  Check that out!  Cool?  You betcha . . . and that's the bird's word for now . . 

ps:  DG, I love you!