DIRTY HARRY
At 5:15 p.m. the text read, "E.J. Hospital room 366 at 6pm there will be an AA meeting held for Dirty Harry. Please attend and forward this message. We shall show what AA Love is."
I dropped everything, hopped into the car, drove across town and walked straight into the arms of pure, unbridled Love. At first only a handful of people showed up, but within a matter of minutes, forty people had packed into a an ICU hospital room, for fellowship and Loving support. It must have been surreal for Dirty Harry to be laying in a hospital bed, hooked up to heart monitors surrounded by a sea of compassionate men and women--some of whom he'd never met. But that's the thing about this group, you never meet a stranger-disease and deliverance-are the ties that bind.
We read from the daily reflections and the big book before sharing our experience, strength and hope. I must say, for me it felt like deja vu...bringing me back to an experience I had in Lithuania. Gathered in a small room with young activists, I heard soul inspiring stories of how the persecuted were overcoming the ravages of communism...rebuilding their lives and their communities. In this hospital room, I heard the same soul inspiring stories of faith, fortitude and the final release from the bondage of addiction. Individually and collectively-these people-like the ones I met in Lithuania- had truly found the power to overcome their powerlessness. And on this night they proved their power-in the sheer number of people who showed up for Harry.
Dirty Harry is suffering from congestive heart failure...and a series of challenges has weakened his heart even further....But I could see in his face and hear in his voice, that this surprise gathering is probably the best prescription for healing that he will ever receive.
Big and burly, deep throated and charming, Dirty Harry is down to earth and as street wise as they come...His nickname hails from the days when he drove 18 wheeler trucks for a living...while romancing his obsession with alcohol. Years of sobriety has included daily meetings, so when he stopped showing up-I was getting a little worried about him...You see, his very presence is a powerful elixir and when he's not around-everyone feels the missing link. I was touched and surprised when Dirty Harry turned and pointed at me..."I never thought I'd see you here-when you walked in the door, you made my night!"
He doesn't know it, but with those words, he made my night-- and he made my heart feel stronger and more vigilant than ever. You see-in the end, all that really matters is that we let someone else know that they matter...that their life has value-and that their presence in our lives...is a gift, while their absence leaves a powerful void.
I went home feeling grateful for being invited, thankful that I said yes and relieved that my friend is doing so well...and I can't help but marvel at the magnificent blessing of the AA angels who rallied around Dirty Harry at the hospital-on a Saturday night -just to breathe a spirit of healing hope-into his struggling heart.
God is good!
I dropped everything, hopped into the car, drove across town and walked straight into the arms of pure, unbridled Love. At first only a handful of people showed up, but within a matter of minutes, forty people had packed into a an ICU hospital room, for fellowship and Loving support. It must have been surreal for Dirty Harry to be laying in a hospital bed, hooked up to heart monitors surrounded by a sea of compassionate men and women--some of whom he'd never met. But that's the thing about this group, you never meet a stranger-disease and deliverance-are the ties that bind.
We read from the daily reflections and the big book before sharing our experience, strength and hope. I must say, for me it felt like deja vu...bringing me back to an experience I had in Lithuania. Gathered in a small room with young activists, I heard soul inspiring stories of how the persecuted were overcoming the ravages of communism...rebuilding their lives and their communities. In this hospital room, I heard the same soul inspiring stories of faith, fortitude and the final release from the bondage of addiction. Individually and collectively-these people-like the ones I met in Lithuania- had truly found the power to overcome their powerlessness. And on this night they proved their power-in the sheer number of people who showed up for Harry.
Dirty Harry is suffering from congestive heart failure...and a series of challenges has weakened his heart even further....But I could see in his face and hear in his voice, that this surprise gathering is probably the best prescription for healing that he will ever receive.
Big and burly, deep throated and charming, Dirty Harry is down to earth and as street wise as they come...His nickname hails from the days when he drove 18 wheeler trucks for a living...while romancing his obsession with alcohol. Years of sobriety has included daily meetings, so when he stopped showing up-I was getting a little worried about him...You see, his very presence is a powerful elixir and when he's not around-everyone feels the missing link. I was touched and surprised when Dirty Harry turned and pointed at me..."I never thought I'd see you here-when you walked in the door, you made my night!"
He doesn't know it, but with those words, he made my night-- and he made my heart feel stronger and more vigilant than ever. You see-in the end, all that really matters is that we let someone else know that they matter...that their life has value-and that their presence in our lives...is a gift, while their absence leaves a powerful void.
I went home feeling grateful for being invited, thankful that I said yes and relieved that my friend is doing so well...and I can't help but marvel at the magnificent blessing of the AA angels who rallied around Dirty Harry at the hospital-on a Saturday night -just to breathe a spirit of healing hope-into his struggling heart.
God is good!
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