I don’t know what purpose blogs really serve, other than to share our experience, strength and hope, so here’s my first entry, please let me know what you think.
Earlier today, I had the honor of seeing a dear friend I’ll call “Tom,” a former Marine, celebrate 35 years of sobriety. This week, 35 years ago, he was sentenced to prison for vehicular manslaughter. He killed a young man, a dear friend of his family’s, while drunk behind the wheel.
As he recounted his journey, he wept. The weight of his grief over taking that young man’s life filled every inch of the room. We all wept too, we couldn’t help it. Through his tears, he shared how the boy’s mother had said to him at the time, “If you really felt bad about what you’ve done, you’d kill yourself.” He talked about not having the courage to do that even though it was the only thing that made sense.
But another reason his tears flowed was because of the Grace he’s experienced since. Years ago, another Marine told him that his story could help others, especially soldiers, get sober. So he did his prison time, stayed sober, and became committed to sharing his heart-wrenching crime with others.
He wept today because last night he slept underneath a quilt made for him by that boy’s aunt, given to him as a symbol of that family’s forgiveness.
He wept today because he’s since helped countless people stay sober.
He wept today because Grace – that mysterious force in the universe that can fix broken people and things in wholly unimaginable ways – guides his life.
He wept today because he knows his life’s purpose.
I wept today because I know the inner and outer workings of that Grace too.
It is the force that animates my life and work whenever I allow it to do so.