Soul Magic
Letter to a
Friend - Precious Moments
By Rosvita
"Today - we celebrate the life of Jean, a woman, mother
and friend to many of us. First, I'd like to remember one of the last AA
meetings we attended. The topic for the hour was introduced by the chair
person.”
"Let's explore our thoughts about spiritual awakening…"
Well, quite a tough topic to sum up quickly in the short
time allotted to a person in an AA meeting.
Several people shared a short version of their belief, mostly grappling
with the meaning of the word itself, whether it is applied as a mystical,
mythical matter or simply in an earthy sense.
Let's face it, alcoholics are prone
to complicate even the simplest of concepts.
The next person in the group to share was Jean. "I am Jean, I am an alcoholic. I know this is not a speaker's meeting, but I
feel strongly about what I need to say…"
A couple of student nurses looked at her with obvious
interest, and anticipation. They had
come to find out what goes on in AA meetings as part of their schooling, and Jean
was ready to be a teacher.
"When I came into AA I did want to stop drinking, that
was it. I had no idea or need to learn a lot else!" (Chuckles
from the audience.)
Some elaboration of the progression of her alcoholism
followed. Then Jean shared "A member of that AA group took me aside after
the meeting and exclaimed gently, but firmly: ‘Jean, you do not need to drink tonight.
And please, come back tomorrow, that will be your first day sober.’”
Most of us in the group had heard her share in about the
same words, yet, it was as effective and magical to us as the first time.
What Jean kept attempting to share was that this was her
first inkling of a spiritual experience, a spiritual awakening, and it gets
passed on to others with the sharing, the repetition, the
sincerity. Magic, mythical, or earthy,
you decide...
Jean stayed sober from that minute on.
Many of us knew Jean's passion for gardening. I can still hear her words clearly:
"I needed to channel my painting talent into creating
my garden. It is very satisfying to me, with a change happening practically
every day, and I get to contribute to the change, one day at a time."
What a concept, marvelous, magic?!! Spiritual, could it be?
I admired the diversity of Jean's talents. No doubt she was superbly creative, and on the other hand, very disciplined in the execution of her projects. Possibly a bit too perfectionistic, but channeling that un-useful trait into a healthy activity.
She modeled that learning a new skill takes a step by step
approach. It may well need to be researched, and have the instructions read,
even if many of us loathe it. It is like
that in AA, with the 12 Steps, we take them one at a time. Eventually we grow
to use them together, to continue growing, like our projects can grow. And projects will see completion.
Like the beautiful rugs Jean created, a memory that will be
treasured by her children and grandchildren. They might be passed on, allowing
Jean's talents to live, inspire appreciation for beauty, and magically yet
sensibly, document her spirituality.
One day, Jean shared a difficult stretch of her recovery. She’d
had many days of darkness and depression and was reaching out for help, staying
sober. "Suddenly, I had a very real
sense of what I needed to do. I wanted
to learn to ski!"
What a delight to listen to this challenging effort.
Spurned on by the story, we decided to pick up where Jean
had left off a few years ago. My friend
showed courage, determination, and a will to learn. Her sense of humor helped when she crashed
into the snow, and she accepted it all as part of learning to live more fully, giving
credence to how her spirits had once again lifted when the wind blew joy into
her being.
I will cherish our last time on the hill and be able to visualize it whenever my spirits are low…
I had gone ahead, demonstrating, then stopped and looked
back. What a vision, could that be Jean…?
She seemed to float into her turns; her being exuded her
joy, humor, and excitement. She had
accomplished the task. She had worked
for it, methodically,
step by step, and she was grateful.
Today, in honor of the anniversary of your birthday, the
25th of September, we salute you, we thank you, Jean. We will miss you, yet, we will continue to
keep you alive, as we pass on what you taught us: A spirit of gratitude, a need to be present,
and to change the negative into an attitude of gratitude.
Dear Jean, your spirit will live among us in the beauty of
flowers budding into bloom, in the pages of the Big Book, in every one of our
very special memories of your sharing.
One day at a time…
Love,
Rosvita
Author’s Note: My special friend
passed away from lung cancer in March 2007.
She shares my mother's birthday, yet more significantly, she had a
"new birthday in AA on
If you’d like to learn more about Rosvita or read more of her stories, please
visit her webpage at: http://www.sfpnn.com/Rosvita.htm