A post is a light in a window

[LeapYearGUY]

A light in this window says I am here. I am here to say to the person still agonizing with the shattering loneliness of addiction, "Come inside! You are not the only one, despite what your disease may tell you."

I am here because I, too, know that profound loneliness, that God-shaped void of deep spiritual emptiness that makes me homesick in my own home.

But I have found hope. True, honest, genuine, non-denominational hope. I found this hope by reaching out to another addict to say, together, we can not use for one day and find another addict who suffers and show them this light.

In this room, our light in the window will bring more addicts, who will give us the thing that we need like oxygen; the forgetting of oneself in service to another. "It is by self forgetting that one finds, it is in forgiveness that one is forgiven."

Freedom live here. Take my hand...

[Deb179]

Very nice...I too love it !!!!

[Smalltownmom]

Love it :)

[LeapYearGUY]

Thanks so much Mark! I read your every post, and am awed by the sheer volume of love you emit, selflessly, day after day, week after week. I wonder at the number of lives you must have helped save.

I'm with you on the meetings. We are physical beings with a spiritual illness—the virtual recovery is a great adjunct but never, in my opinion, enough to risk relapse. Relapse is death.

I thought of you yesterday, too Mark, when I went to the NA website because I suddenly realized I couldn't remember the twelve concepts for world service. It made amazing reading. I thought, I bet Mark does H&I and would make an awesome Area Delegate to world service some time soon. (I think the clean time requirement is 7 years, but I could be wrong.)

Anyhow—thanks so much for dropping by and congratulations on possessing, so firmly, the freedom from self centered fear that comes inevitably with carrying the message to those that still suffer. You rock!

[gnarly_1]

Hey dude im so glad I found this post...it is ausum!!  in the dark world of addiction when it seams hopeless  a fellow  addict can shine light love and guidance to those still in the grip of active addiction we all have a light  but it is up to us to apply it.....for me helping others gets my mind off of my circumstances it is a 2 way street by helping others we help ourselves ...as it says in N/A one addict helping another is without parallel as one addict can best understand another....we cant keep it unless we give it away...thanks for all you do here  we hope you stay  you have found true recovery and you where it well  may God bless you abundantly..........................Gnarly..........................................

[Stungbythebee]

Hey Leap, it's BEE. Just want to ditto VIC's comments. You are gifted with an elegant, musical hand that sings it's way into our hearts and souls. Thank you for that. And also ditto jifmoc. Your words bring peace to my soul, and tears to my eyes. And I am so thankful!! I am at 15 days and struggling. I sure am glad I found this post. God bless. BEE

[VICourageous]

I left you a reply in another post.
I wanted to tell you that Your Writing out here is so Awesome. Your Words sing with Harmony & Love. Where have YOU been? Plz stick around as much as YOU can.

To answer, why I can be on so much is that I have retired from Nursing now.
All my so called friends still use or drink. I live out in the woods with all my lovely critters. I have to drive a ways to get to Church or to Meetings and/or to do some Volunteer work. I also get snow that can be 6-7ft deep and it is hard to get out sometimes in the Winter.
When I first got on here I had already 3 months in. I jumped in to help others and return I got the help too. I had some BAD curve balls from Deaths to Health issues in such a short time, with only a short time in Recovery..I had to stick close to this site. These Wonderful, Caring, Sharing, Compassionate people kept me from running and hiding on a Substance which I always did in the older days. This is why I am so glad we can Journal on the way. In times of troubled waters they are here to help fish us out. Now I feel the need to stay close and be reminded each and every day how awful this Disease is and how it can bite me in the ash at any given moment. I got more Love and Help from this site then I did in my own Real World out here. I also picked up some New Friends and we talk on the phone now and then. They have Become like Sponsors for me too!
Anyway, Nice Post YOU put up and I have been following you lately too. Hahaha! Look out I am Lurking at YOU. Hugs!

PS These people out here have become my Teachers as I am the Student. Learned alot from here. My writing is not the greatest, as I missed that boat in school, but it has gotten a bit better by reading other excellent Writers like you. Bless

[LeapYearGUY]

No! I'm movie dependent myself. If I'm feeling stuck, Meet John Doe (boy—am I glad this is anonymous) opens up the works. Embarrassing, but real men cry. It's amazing that feelings used to be my number one enemy!

Thanks for taking the time to comment. I guess it's true—we all need to pitch In to keep the light burning.

It's awful dark out there.

[jifmoc]

Leapyearguy- Since being clean, I noticed I do something that I didn't do at all during my entire tenure of using: tear up. Your post made my eyes well up. It also reminds me (and I take it for granted now) how much of a relief it is to be on the other side of addiction.

Guess now is not the time to re-watch that last scene of "Field of Dreams." (ha)

[LeapYearGUY]

That was beautiful. And hilarious. I. Feeling dazzled by getting replies from The Stalwart of our community. Wow!

Thanks Vickie for the AMAZING amount of love you give out. How do you do it? And Clean—that was awesome. Can I relate? No picnic on the beach of mental health myself, I am known in my family for telephoning my grandmother when I was four and demanding, "Speak to me as though I were an egg white."

"Long live the subjunctive!" Said my favorite uncle.

Yes, I earned that first drink!

[clean_in_ks]

Love this!!!  

As a child, a Mennonite woman (old order) lived with us for many years to help my mom who seemed to always be pregnant...LOL
She taught us SO many songs, took us to her family farm (she was the oldest of 13) which made a HUGE eatin' table there..lol, took us to her church where the women sat on one side and the men sat on the other (WHOA!..lol), taught us to pull taffy, sat us in a circle and told us stories and so many more things.  She emblazoned on my heart that song about not hiding your light under a bushel.  We'd sing it and say "♫Don't hide your light under a bushel, NO!", and then blow to show how easy it is to blow out someone's light.

I rabbit trailed didn't I?  Hahahaha!!  The POINT was SUPPOSE to be.....we ARE a light....and we shine brightly inviting other suffering addicts to join us.  We learn our light doesn't shine any brighter by blowing out someone else's.....and how to "♫Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine♫
☼Keep shining my friends☼

P.S.  This dear sweet Mennonite woman has since told me that when I was elementary school age, I told her "When I grow up, I want to be a Mennonite, but I want to drink beer, date boys and dance first."..ROFL☺  

[VICourageous]

What a Lovely Post to See Today!

If I change my Actions,
My thoughts will Follow.

I look forward to my NEW Life in RECOVERY!

Thank You for such a Reminder.
Bless

[LeapYearGUY]

Thank you dear dominosarah, for sticking around so faithfully. Rain or shine! I think off you as a good fairy welding either a pizza delivery or a bunch of game pieces, always popping up when needed. Please persevere!

[dominosarah]

I remember the loneliness, the shame and guilt.  Then i reached out and recovery began~

[LeapYearGUY]

Thanks Spider!
Welcome! I'm honored by your visit. You have shared so much, and been a power of example on how to reply lovingly to people in distress. Your secret weapon is a killer—your fabulous sense of humor and play. I always count on a Spider post to give me a chuckle and remember "rule 62"—"Stop taking yourself so damn seriously!"
Onward!

[spider6]

Lovely, my vein of thought as well.  ((((8))))