Blog for July 15th, 202
Ten Days Out (Into the Great Unknown)
Kenny Wayne Sheperd once made a video and CD called “Ten Days Out”. Kenny and his crew went all around the south looking for some old-time blues players. It’s pretty cool. Well, as fate would have it, I just got back from Ten Days Out of running around the south too. I left home on July 4th and back on July 14th.
Flying into Memphis with my fourteen-year-old grandson and then driving to Mississippi to get my twenty-six-year-old granddaughter, we took off into the great unknown. Oh, I’ve been to all these places before, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana. But I have never been to my family’s home in Tennessee and their fiftieth family reunion party. In fact, I’ve never met any of this clan. My real, true biological dad’s family.
We only found out this January, as I’ve mentioned that before, and this was my first meeting with them. It was very different from anything I’ve ever done before. It was surreal. Yet, I think that I was able to navigate it all pretty well because of my program, my God for sure and my recovery. I have been to many recovery conventions and events over the years and figured, hey, I’ll just pretend I’m going to a function, NA taught me to do that, with total strangers and have fun.
They were a pretty good group of people, real nice. Sweet, kind, caring. I felt a little odd, but not too much. Still, this was indeed the great unknown for me. I have two new brothers and they are as different as day and night. One is warm, welcoming and inclusive with me. The other is standoffish and stays away from me.
That’s fine, I get it. It’s all weird to me too, it’s all the great unknown. How was I to know all this? It’s like a cosmic joke or something. But again, I’m grateful for my God and my program. The new family is great. We’ll see where it goes from here. All I know is, God’s in charge, of it all.
So, my grandkids and I traveled on: To Nashville, for tours and sight seeing and a concert at the Grand Ole Opry. I even heard a little blues there too. I drove hundreds of miles on country back roads and the Natchez Trace. Beautiful country, I loved it, but you don’t make good time. Lol
Back to Mississippi for a couple of days and then onto Baton Rouge where I met up with a sponsee and her husband. They are so awesome, I loved that they came there to go to a Kenny Wayne Shepperd concert with me. He is incredible. He got inducted into the Music Hall of Fame there. Yay. Once, about twenty some years ago, I gave him a little NA textbook, I put our phone number in it for him, he was just getting clean.
What a great way to wrap up Ten Days Out! Then, this morning, we’re off and running for a full day of travel to get back home. I am so grateful for this whole entire experience, and I pray that my new family will learn to love me as I will them. I was so grateful to have two of my grandkids with me for this historical, life changing event. And thank you God and NA for walking me through the Great Unknown. Amen
Question of the Week: What might your Great Unknown be?
