Dave's Daily Blog

Spirituality

I was outside one day on the beach with my camera and a sky writing plane flew overhead and wrote some biblical passages in the sky. It was a beautiful South Florida day and I was doing some of my favorite things including riding my bike, walking on the beach, taking pictures and snorkeling for shells. I was feeling great, full to the brim with gratitude for the life that I live. Although the word God written in the sky many years ago would have gone unnoticed, in my new life it was just one more reminder of spirituality in my life. How long had I suffered from a lack of connection with God. How blessed was I to find a discipline of living that understood the need for a connection with a Higher Power but that chose not to define that power for me.

There is no doubt that I had been suffering from a disease or as it was explained to me a “dis”— “ease”. This “dis”— “ease” was caused by my separation from that power. The separation was caused by self-centeredness that manifested itself in drug addiction, alcoholism and many other forms of self involvement that became addictions.

The disease caused a “hole in my soul” where my consciousness of God used to be. God was always there but my consciousness of him had been gone for a long time. For me to triumph over my addictions it was necessary to put God back in that hole so there would be no room for all of the addictions and behaviors to flourish. I was encouraged to find a Higher Power, turn my will and my life over to that Power and to increase my conscious contact on a daily basis.

Thank God there was no one waiting inside the door to tell me the where, what, when, how and why of that Power. That is religions job. One of my thoughts about the evidence of the existence of God is the fact that our program chose the spiritual rather than the religious route to this healing power. The Higher Power had to be working in the group consciousness of our founders to keep this door wide open to all who wished to avail themselves of the program. A religious approach would not work for many as it would eliminate too many potential suffers and become exclusive. Our program is spiritual and therefore inclusive. Believe how you will but join us in the solution. So we welcome all religions, faiths and non-believers and we invite them into our felloship with love and kindness to share our spiritual journey.

One of the great pleasures of my current life is the opportunity to spend two hours a week facilitating a Spirituality Group at one of the many local treatment centers. I literally inherited this job from my wonderful sponsor David DeOreo who passed away last year. At first I was overwhelmed by the responsibility and I remember going to my first group with a huge box of books, DVD’s, handouts and recovery materials. I had the idea that I had to entertain the group with lots of bells and whistles. I was very uncomfortable after the first group so I prayed about it, talked to David in my prayers, and then remembered his approach to this group. All he brought to the group was his experience, strength and hope, his kindness, wisdom and love. In other words his spirituality.

Since that day the group is wide open. We talk about the 12 steps, football, nature, music, friends, loved ones, ideas about religion, sometimes even politics and often the opposite sex (it is a men’s group). It works just fine for I believe and try to teach that we are spiritual beings having a human and spiritual experience. All the things we love whether its our family or Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, our friends or the Boston Red Sox, are related to our Higher Power. How wonderfully human and spiritual is it to get back the capacity to love

So we find God everywhere, we listen and he talks to us, we see and we see his work. How I am rewarded every day as I stay open to His presence in my everyday life.

The guys in my group smoke behind the mall where the group is held. Last week I found this gang of macho, testosterone laden addicts fussing over the babies of a wild duck. She had given birth to them them right outside the door behind a bush. Some days God makes it so easy for me to be His transmission line!!!

Back to the blog. This is a new experience and I am enjoying the potential that this blog represents. I have spent the last several days contacting other bloggers and asking permission to use their material in my newspaper The Solution News as well as on my website solutionnews.org and this blog. Everyone I have asked have been more than happy to share their writing. So I am very pleased to use this new medium to to publish helpful information for all in recovery as well as anyone else seeking positive life style change.

One of the joys of recovery is sharing happy times with ones family and friends. I am off to spend the weekend with my Mom and Dad who are celebrating 60 years of marriage.  Also there will be my brothers Richard and Eric and their wives my wife Maura and my nephew Nick.  The family has weathered the storms of my active addiction and for the last thirty two years enjoyed the benefits of my active recovery. The ripple effect of active addiction effects many people in a negative way but the ripple effect of recovery effects the same people in a positive way.

So I learned a couple new tricks on Word Press but for some reason my link to Phil Cory’s web site didn’t work so here I go again on attempt number two on this fancy blog manuever. treatmentusa.com And I might as well add another graphic just to make sure I have the move down…

So I just had an hour long conversation with my partner in the Recovery Media Group Mr. Phil Cory of TreatmentUSA.com. Phil has single handedly caused me to take the unlimited minutes plan from Verizon for my Blackberry as our conversations seldom last less than an hour. As a matter of fact before I called him I put the clothes in the dryer and set it for 70 minutes and when I took the clothes out they were not only dry but ice cold. I guess we went overtime today. Anyway as I learn new tricks on the blog I will share the learning curve with you my imaginary friends in recovery. So with this post I will try to link you to my web site solutionnews.org as well as to Phil’s I will also attempt the the mystical “Right Handed Image Upload Manuever”. Since it is coffee time I will upload a coffee image.

Just trying out my new blog. My friend Phil Cory at Treatment USA has set me up so that I can start blogging. No stranger to the Internet and all the new technologies I have finally succumbed to the blogging sensation. Never one to journal as part of my recovery ammunition I guess a blog will be the high tech equivalent.

Its January 13 and I am in my office sitting high above Beacon and Lowell in what the locals call ManchVegas, Manchester, NH. Currently working on another one of my many addicitions: food. I am working part time at WestBridge Community Services and the staff has started a Biggest Loser competition. At risk of having to pick up a white chip at Gambler’s Anonymous I put $25.00 in the pot and the one of us to lose the most percentage wise will win about $400.00. If I win I will quickly spend part of the money on a steak and cheese, seasoned french fries, fresh baked bread and butter, and some homemade peanut butter fudge ice cream. In the meantime (until March) I will continue to attempt to stretch 1,500 calories a day by making vegetables, fruit and salads exciting.
More on this later.