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Foundation:

April 6, 2020,

Build your house on a firm foundation, then when the rains and the flood come and the stream breaks, then comes and the strong winds blow and beat on the house but it does not fall. Luke 6: 47-49. 

     This has been a very interesting week, to say the least.  Today is Day 21 of our self-quarantine, the Stay at home order/plea to help stop the spread of the Corona Virus.  With at least 25 more days to go. Praying for a cure, a vaccine and for safety for all. Prayers for protection on our families and friends, health care workers and everyone in harms way and for those who have already lost their dear sweet people. As I said before, with One Day at a Time philosophy, we will make it.  My program taught me early on to live in today and only worry about this day.  Do what I can, right where I am.  For the most part, this is happening.  On the first of April, a couple of days ago, I celebrated 35 years clean, what a blessing and a gift this is for me. In another world I would have gone to a meeting by now and had my husband, or a sponsee, friend, someone, give me a cake.  We would sing happy birthday and I would speak of my gratitude and love for God and the program. I’d talk about all the people God has put in my path along the way, and they are many.  So many people that have taught me so many lessons. 

     Instead what happened on the first was my grandson and I baked a cake and then that evening I got on my computer and went to a Zoom with women in my local community.  My sponsor and a long time sponsee and a very special sponsee that has moved far away were there and my best friend, KK.  That was my present. My reward if you will. Seeing the faces of some of the most special women in my life of recovery and hearing their voices.

     But having a “birthday”, some call it anniversary or clean date, but I was raised in the program of us calling it our “birthday”.  It truly is the day I started living my life for real. A new birth, and what do you think a new birth, a new chance at life would mean?  It would mean that you have a new opportunity to live a better life. To do things differently, to build a new foundation!  A foundation built on spiritual principals, such as honesty, willingness, trust worthiness, service, helper, giver. Totally opposite of the life before getting clean: Selfish, taker, dishonest, dishonor.  

     With these spiritual principals being instilled in me as a foundation, as well as the 12 steps, starting with step 1- knowing that I do not have the power, that when I try to take control and think I have the power, then my life becomes quite unmanageable.  Step 2. Help me to build the foundation that I could be restored, not just to sanity, but to love, kindness, giving back, honoring others and most importantly, my God.  Step 3. Laid that solid foundation down that my Higher Power was/is going to take my will and my life and help me to navigate through this life clean.

       So those first three steps, are our foundations: 1. I can’t, 2. He can. 3. I’ll let Him.  This is where I started building my house, my prime foundation.

     As the years have rolled on, and as life has brought us Joy and Pain, Love and Hate, Good and Bad, Good times and Hard times, I have continued to build on these basic foundations. I’ve added rooms to my foundation, then texture, paint, light, comfortable furniture, pictures on the walls of the people of love, the places I’ve gone, the events I attended and the glee and happiness I had felt on these occasions.  The times my heart was so full it would bust, the times my heart would break and I thought it could never be repaired again.   The pictures of the beautiful nature and the world that my God has blessed me to see and experience. The world He created! What a gift! Oh yes, my house is filled with so many gifts.  In my house that is built on a solid foundation of faith, steps, trust and love I’ve added music, family, friends, serenity, love and peace.  Because my foundation starts with surrender, the surrender to God that I can’t, He can and I think I’ll let Him. 

This was taken from an NA page

Quote of the day:We built our foundation not by pretending, but by going through the struggle honestly and courageously, and accepting help along the way. Recovery is not always a tidy process; we are building intimate relationships with other people and with a power greater than ourselves, and neither of these comes naturally to all of us (Living Clean, p. 125).

Question of the week:  Since we are all at different places in our journey of recovery, where are you? Are you pouring your new foundation?  Or have you started building on it yet?  Or are you filling it with the gifts, spiritual principals, memories and love?