For example, this afternoon I get a phone call from a man I talk to periodically but don't see on a regular basis. I first met him during my early years of sobriety. At that time, for the first six years I was sober, I used to volunteer once a week at our local detox center chairing a meeting. Each week there was a different group at the meeting because they cycled through the program pretty fast. As soon as they got clean and sober enough so they could function without being sick they were discharged; either to a halfway house or back to their home if they had one.
The man who called me today was one I met at that meeting some 23 years ago. We hit it off right away because we had a lot in common. He drank alcohol and used heroin like I did. He had been locked up off-and-on during his life and, like me, he didn't see much hope for the future. I believe he thought he was destined to always be an alcoholic and drug addict, which was the way I felt for a long period of my life. Anyway he called me to thank me for the part that I had played in his recovery.
And it was a wonderful feeling to get a call like that – because many of us forget that a lot of people helped us along the way. A lot of people shared their experience, strength and hope with us, all factors in helping us change our lives.
We chatted for a while and I thanked him for the call. I told him that his acknowledgment of my help meant a great deal to me.
That call help make my day. And also made me realize that helping others with our time and experience can be one of the most rewarding things we will ever do.
