25 years is a long time.

Last Friday night my Dad got his 25 year coin for sobriety. The only reason I know this is because my Mom told me. I didn’t know they were going to have a ceremony and that his 25th anniversary of sobriety was last Friday. In fact I thought it’d already past.

I don’t know if you remember, but on Father’s Day I posted this. I also sent it to my Dad. Well, I only found out about this anniversary celebration a few days before it happened and I was not able to attend. I would have loved to, but I just couldn’t get away long enough for the 6 hour drive there and the 6 hour drive back. I wish I could have made it work, but what with B and his broken jaw and A and her allergy, and D being obsessed with finishing the deck I was afraid if I left they would not get fed. Not to mention my van gets 10 miles a gallon, on a good day.

Anyway, my mom told me that she got up and read the letter I wrote to my Dad during the ceremony. How cool is that? Now I am kind of glad I did not make it because what if they had wanted ME to get up in front of all those people (and there were A LOT of people there) and read the letter. I don’t speak in front of people. It is my goal to get all the way to my death bed without having to get up in front of a group larger than my family and speak.

I do think it was kind of cool for all those people to hear what I wrote though. I know there were people there who had only been sober for 1 day or 1 week or 1 month, and their lives were falling apart, and they had lost everything including their families, and maybe what I said to my dad gave them some hope that God really can restore their lives if they let Him.

I think if I had known that my mom was going to read my letter in front of all those people I would have said more about that. The only reason my Dad has been able to be sober for 25 years is because of the Lord. The only reason the relationships with his children have been restored to him is because of God’s grace.

Every good and perfect gift is from above. That is what I would have said to that guy sitting in the back who was at his first AA meeting and he was only there because his wife left him and took his kids with her and he has no other hope. I wish I could have told that guy that God is his only hope. If he looks to Him, maybe in 25 years he too can be up on that stage getting his 25 year coin and reading a letter from his daughter congratulating him.