Not the best of sleep, on/off sleeping due to the heat, even with a fan on most of the night.  I did manage to get some sleep and had a nice catch-up with my Gran on the way to church.

The morning service at church I found inspiring and made me think all day about my recovery and AA.

The service was focused on ‘Sheep without a Shepherd’.  When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless.  The harvest was plentiful but the labourers are few, so Jesus sent the twelve disciples into the cities to cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers and cast out demons.  They received it without payment, so they will give it without payment.

When I was in active addiction, I was a sheep without a Shepherd, I had no one to guide me on the path to sobriety, resulting in me drinking daily with no hope of escaping the grasp of addiction.

Rehab helped me find a way to recover and manage my new life, with the AA groups now being my Shepherd.

The AA is keeping me on my patch of sobriety with support and encouragement.  Hearing other fellows’ stories and experiences builds my knowledge of what may be ahead for me and how to possibly deal with it.  Like a herd of sheep, we stick by and help each other, all gaining life knowledge from each other, and just like the 12 disciples, we have all received it without payment, and we give without payment.

I am still seeking my sponsor, but I am closer to finding one, and then my sponsor will become my Shepherd.  Someone I can call when in need and seek advice to help me in my sobriety.

Suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, character produces hope and hope does not disappoint us.