This morning started out with a "so long" to two very dear long time friends. Early this morning I wanted to ensure I was going to workout before our long drive to Denver. I woke up around 5:00 am and I knew one of my dear friends would be awake at this hour because they were departing the house early as well. I wanted to say "so long" to this dear friend. I don't like "good-byes" because they seem so permanent and no matter what happens in two and half weeks it won't be permanent. It will be a temporary freeze on my freedoms which means I may not get to see some of my dear friends for awhile. However; I do know I will get to see them again as long as I continue doing the things I have been doing in my recovery. If I stop my recovery for whatever "excuse" all of the wonderful beautiful blessed things in my life go away. I don't want this to happen which is why I work my recovery Program each and everyday.
Last night I said "so long" to another dear friend and I would like to thank this friend for teaching me the true meaning of the word friend. They have been great throughout this horrible ordeal which I created and they could have turned their back on me. However; they did not and I am forever grateful for this wonderful blessed friendship.
Today as I bid another dear friend "so long" I thought about the word friend and I have discovered through so many people what this word truly means. This dear old friend whom I have known for close to thirty years has been an inspiration to me because no matter what happens in life they did not judge. I have always been the same old "Pablo". Yes, I did some very bad things for which I will be punished; however; I have also done some very positive things which will stay with me the rest of my life and these things have made and will continue to make my life better each and everyday.
We spoke for awhile early this morning and my dear friend wished me well. It really is a very difficult conversation for both parties involved; however; knowing I have so many true great friends who do believe in me gives me so much courage and strength that I am on the right road to recovery.
We finally said our "so longs" and off we went on our separated ways. As we were talking we both realized I have come full circle with my moving and also my compulsive gambling addiction. As for the moving; when my family and me moved from Las Vegas to Southern California we stayed at this same house with our two dear friends some five years ago. Now we were heading east so I can get my family situated before I go "away". Also; these two dear friends were the reason I moved to Las Vegas some 12 and 1/2 years ago. I fell in love with the "residential" Las Vegas and I was always drawn to the gambling/gaming. I thought it would be a great idea to work for the gaming companies but unfortunately working for the gaming industry only proved more fuel for my compulsive gambling addiction.
I tried to fight my addiction for so long by myself to no avail and yes, it certainly got the best of me. I know I cannot do this by myself and I don't have to because I have found a program called Gamblers Anonymous that will help me as long as I work their Program not mine. Yes, my gambling addiction got the best of me but I am slowly getting my life back and as long as I continue getting my life back by working the Program I know things will continue to get better.
I could say I have many regrets and yes, I do but I will not dwell on those regrets because that will not help me in my recovery. What helps me in my recovery is facing each day with honesty, integrity, open-mindness and willingness to do the right thing. I am finally making the right choices thanks to the GA Program and thanks to my remarkable friends and family.
We finally loaded up the car (again!) around 10:00 am and said "so long" to our other old dear friend. This friend has also inspired me and I so look up to this person because they live their life with so much integrity and honesty. As we left our dear friends home in Las Vegas I had a small tear in my eye but I look forward to each day with a renewed eagerness because each day is truly a gift. The gift today was driving with my wife and children from our dear friends' house in Las Vegas to my incredible younger sister's home in Denver.
Yes, we departed being schedule but that is certainly to be expected. I knew today would be a long day of driving and probably the worst day of the entire trip across country; but we did make it to my sisters house at 11:00 pm Mountain Time. We spent 12 hours in the car counting the two stops we made for gas and dinner. The drive was very uneventful which is always good and we did make great time. The children were fantastic and didn't complain one bit. They watched their movies, colored, played with their electronics games and listened to their CD's. They were great and if today was the worst day of our trip we our going to have an outstanding time driving across this great country of ours.
We drive through four states; Nevada, Arizona (I always forget about this one because it only last for 15 miles) Utah, and Colorado. There is an 80 mile stretch in eastern Utah which is breathtaking. There are canyons, rocks, arroyos of so many different colors I felt like I was on the moon. There are no houses, no trees and certainly no people during this stretch. God truly did an outstanding job when he created this piece of land. I have driven through this on three separate occasions and each time I am awed by the scenery. It truly appreciate the power of our great country side and I am so happy to have been given this time to experience more blessings.
We were all very tired and after unpacking the mini-van we all headed off to bed. I know for me and it appeared this same way for the rest of my family; when my head hit the pillow I was fast asleep. It was great to see my sister and her family on our trip. We will be here for the next few days and we will be departing on our next leg of the journey on Thursday morning.
Finally, one quick fact about our trip from Las Vegas to Denver. The temperature hit 106 degrees in the desert between Las Vegas and Mesquite, Nevada. As we drove through the Rockie Mountains the temperature dropped to 41 degrees at the Vail Summit which is around 10,000 feet above sea level. This is a drop of 65 degrees in one day. This is an amazing country and we are truly on an amazing trip across the United States. My life is filled with incredible blessings and this trip is certainly one of them.
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