Bev’s Corner April 14, 2018 – Summit part 2 – Who are you asked to make a miracle with?

Today my husband turns 65. One of our friends said, “Welcome to Medicare and Happy Birthday.” In an age when people are dying of the opioid overdose epidemic in droves, my main thought about his birthday is overwhelming gratitude for his continuing life and his and my recovery. One day at a time, we continue to move in the direction of greater health and peace and to continue to help others to do so. That is the miracle of 65 in our lives.

Last week, on the way home from the Atlanta Summit a new friend from the summit and i were each travelling home in airplanes. I to Louisiana through Houston and she to California. On our ways, we were presented with opportunities to speak about and share recovery with the person sitting next to us.

In my case, the conversation was with a lovely lady from North Carolina flying to Houston for a reunion with friends. We were sharing the details of our lives and my book came into the conversation. She got very excited about it as, (surprise!) there is addiction in her family. She wrote down the name of the book so she could order it when she went home.

Then, as we were talking, she told me how bad the meth epidemic is in her area of North Carolina and how many people could use the book…She shared their method for passing books around there:

“We have these cabinets on the side of the road called give a book take a book,” she explained, “and when you finish reading a book you put it in for the next person to enjoy and take a book that is in there to read yourself.”

That excited me. Not only did she plan to buy it and read it but she wanted to get the recovery message out to her town. I immediately gave her a copy of the book and signed it with a message to the people of her town. She plans to read it, put it in the roadside cabinet when done and take a picture of herself doing so for all of us to see on the BALM® Institute for Life Coaching FaceBook page. She is also going to write a note in the book to ask the next person to read it, bring it back and send a picture of themselves doing the same!

If you are reading the book and would be willing to share it with people who may need it in your town when you are done, please do so! Our mission is to help ALL families blaze the trail to recovery in their homes. BALM – The Loving Path to Family Recovery is just one more way to make that mission a reality!

In fact, for those of you who have roadside reading cabinets where you live, we will send a FREE copy of the book, signed with a note to the people of your city or town, to the first five people to commit to read it and put it in the cabinet for the next reader.  Email Tracy at tward@familyrecoveryresources.com with your name, address, and phone number and if you are one of the first five people to put in a request, I will personally sign and send you a copy of the book for the people of your town. Let’s help families together!

Meanwhile, back in the air, my friend Sandra from Sacramento had the opportunity to spend her trip speaking with a man who was on his way to treatment, giving him encouragement and helping him to stay sober on the journey to treatment.

She gave him her card and information to help him on his way. People who have been in treatment before can be filled with trepidation as they work to get back to a life in recovery. She said that he was. For five and 1/2 hours, she gave him encouragement for his next steps as they discussed faith, the science of addiction and finding purpose in life. He had been through 30 rehabs and she was the angel sent to accompany him to his 31st!

When one person on the journey of life stops or is willing to look the person in the next seat in the eyes and having an empathetic, loving conversation, miracles can happen.

Who are you called on to create a miracle with in this moment?

Be A Loving Mirror!