Brothers and Sisters in Recovery 🙏 Back when I was doing prison time I read a lot of books. One that stayed with me deeply was Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. This quote in particular hits home every time I think about our shared journey: “It’s forgiveness that makes us what we are. Without forgiveness, our species would’ve annihilated itself in endless retributions. Without forgiveness, there would be no history. Without that hope, there would be no art [...] We live on because we can love, and we love because we can forgive.” In recovery, forgiveness is one of the most powerful medicines we have. We’ve carried mountains of shame, regret, and resentment—sometimes for things we did, sometimes for what was done to us. Those weights kept us sick for so long. But when we finally find the courage to forgive, something miraculous happens. We set ourselves free. Forgiving ourselves is often the hardest part. We look back at the wreckage we caused, the people we hurt, the years we l...
Brothers and Sisters in Recovery 🙏
Frank Herbert wrote in Dune:
"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
That quote speaks volumes about recovery.
When we decide to walk away from addiction, we are asked to do something that feels impossible. We are asked to let go of the one thing we thought we could depend on. Even when it was destroying us, it was familiar. It was comfortable. It was what we knew.
Recovery often feels like standing at the edge of a great void. Behind us is the chaos, pain, and destruction of addiction. In front of us is uncertainty. We cannot clearly see the other side. We cannot know exactly what lies ahead. All we know is that we have to jump.
Fear whispers that we will fail.
Fear tells us we are not strong enough.
Fear reminds us of every mistake we have ever made and every time we have fallen short.
But recovery teaches us something different. Recovery teaches us that courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is moving forward despite it.
Every meeting attended when you didn't want to go is courage.
Every honest conversation with your sponsor is courage.
Every day clean is courage.
Every time you ask for help instead of isolating, you are proving that fear no longer controls your life.
The truth is that every one of us has stumbled. Every one of us has fallen. Some of us have relapsed. Some of us have lost everything. Some of us have stood in places so dark that we were convinced there was no way out.
Yet here we are.
Still fighting.
Still growing.
Still recovering.
The miracle isn't that we never fall. The miracle is that we keep getting back up.
As we continue this journey, remember that the void you're staring at today may become the bridge you walk across tomorrow. The fear you feel today may become the strength you share with a newcomer tomorrow. The struggle you're facing today may become part of your testimony tomorrow.
Don't let fear make your decisions. Let faith, hope, and action guide your steps.
Keep showing up.
Keep reaching out.
Keep doing the next right thing.
You are stronger than you think, more resilient than you know, and never alone in this journey.
Just for today, stay clean.
Easy does it.
One day at a time.
Keep coming back.
It works if you work it, and you're worth it.
With love and gratitude,
Gary G
Thanks Gary another great message. Thank you for reminding me what true courage is. Today, I will use my faith and trust in my higher power to help me get through any of my fears
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