I will never forget the first time I got sick as a newcomer. I was at the Thursday night speaker meeting and was miserable—stuffy nose, coughing, head pounding. I sat with the ladies in the front row, who all fawned over me. They asked me if this was the first time I had been sick in sobriety. Yes, I responded. One very nice lady said that now that we are sober, we feel the sickness so much more. The alcohol used to cover a lot of the symptoms. And she was right! Not only was I emotionally raw as a newcomer, but physically raw as well.
Life is in session. We are not guaranteed a problem-free sobriety. How are we going to respond when illness crops up? Maybe it’s not just a simple cold, but a full-on, terrifying diagnosis? Perhaps surgery or multiple surgeries are required and we are worried about pain meds or the surgery not working or even dying. Or we are scared of the treatment program and not being able to function normally. What about work? Money? The children?
What I have realized by my own physical illnesses and limitations, as well as very serious diagnoses in women I really care about, is that I have a new power today that I never had in the past: prayer. Yes, I can access my higher power through prayer. I can pray for wellness, comfort, the caring hand of God on the people I know who are sick.
We are not powerless over illness in ourselves or another. We have the power to care. To love. To be of service. To live outside of ourselves. God gives us this amazing power on a daily basis when we seek God’s will for our lives.