Blog for May 19th, 2025
The Culprits
As usual, it’s been a mixed bag of lessons learned, and life earned! Hey, I made up a rhyme about it. But what does it mean? First, lessons learned: Maybe I should say “re-learned”. I had a situation that started last Monday, I was unable to attend my regular women’s meeting, due to a meeting I attend once a month for retired teachers. Anyway, in my absence they voted on some things that I was not privy to. I had asked that they text me if there was a vote, and they did not. By Wednesday afternoon, I had talked to a couple of them and there were some mixed messages going on. I had my feelings hurt with the backhanded way they commented and handled things.
So, yes, I had my feelings hurt. Me and one other lady were the lone survivors of that meeting that started during the pandemic on zoom. We made it hybrid when the pandemic was over, and we hung in there through all kinds of issues and problems. I probably only missed that meeting about two times a year, for nearly five years now. I would say I’m a dedicated regular! So, there’s the backstory.
After a conversation with the lady that I will call the “culprit”, I was so hurt that I quit. Quitting is an old defect of mine, “f everything and run”! But this time, I felt a whole different feeling behind this situation. I felt it was a prompting from my Higher Power to learn another lesson in letting go and moving on. It is a lesson in trusting Him with a new direction in my life. And I have to tell ya, it feels so good. I feel lighter, freer, happy, good, open for new experiences and the opportunity to make new friends.
That very night, Wednesday night, I found a new women’s meeting and attended on zoom, and really liked it and Thursday morning I found another women’s meeting, out of the country and really liked it too. I am feeling blessed. I am feeling like the “culprit” has done me a favor, God used her to help me move on. I am tired of feeling responsible for that meeting that she pushed me out of.
She was part of some of them pushing me out a couple years ago, that’s how I know she is the culprit. But I stayed and tended to my recovery as I’ve been taught. But guess what… all of those who tried to do me harm ended up leaving. Including the culprit. She has been gone over a year or more and only recently came back into our women’s group. I welcomed her with open arms. She even said that she’d learned a lot from those past experiences, she was new and was following her sponsor of the time, a lady with over twenty years clean.
Nevertheless, at this point, she has done me a favor. I am tired of having too many service commitments. I just want to be a regular member at large and enjoy meetings and get some recovery. I want to hear how other women are recovering and giving life a chance and growing spiritually, without having to hurt others along the way. I am feeling free.
I am excited about my life at this point, the things that God has put in front of me to do with family, sponsees, work, my home, travels and writing. I am so blessed. I think sometimes, my God allows these little minions, these culprits into our lives to prod us onto something new and different. Because honestly, it was just the excuse I needed to move on. 😊 So, culprits are not always a bad thing, sometimes, they wake us up and help us to move on where God has intended for us to go. My time in that meeting is done. Thank you, Lord, for what it has given me, the love and recovery I experienced there is not lost on me. I still have that. And that is the life earned! I put in a lot of footwork for it.
Question of the Week: Do you notice any “culprits” in your life that may be spurring you on into a new direction?
