Special Sunday

Tonight I had the honor and privilege of chairing a very special 2 year birthday celebration. The person celebrating two years in the Gamblers Anonymous Program is a very special friend. The meeting also marked our new location for the Sunday Evening Meeting and people came from great distances to celebrate this milestone. It may not seem like a big deal to some people but the Gamblers Anonymous Program has saved my life and so many other people before me. The person celebrating their birthday tonight has been a huge part of my recovery and I am blessed to call this person friend.

The GA Program has been a fantastic Program for me and being able to chair a special celebration meant a great deal to me. When we celebrate birthdays in the GA Program family members are more than welcome and we had our share of family members attend the meeting this evening. I was fortunate enough to have my wife and children attend.

I need to tell a quick story about my son and this evening's meeting. My daughter and son attended the meeting but they being only 8 and 5 years of age it really is difficult to hold their attention for an hour and half especially my son. I brought the portable DVD player and set-up my daughter and son with a movie. My daughter who is an angel watched the entire movie and ate her pizza. My son was able to be entertained with the movie for about an hour but he soon became bored. He found his way into the meeting and sort of likes being the center of attention.

He came over to me and my wife several times and my wife tried to control (for lack of a better word) him but he was able to act like a five year old. There was one point in the meeting where there was some singing (see you never know what is going to happen at a GA meeting!!) and I could see my son mimicking the person singing. He didn't mean to be disrespectful because he is only five but he was having a good old time. I could see there wasn't something quite right with my daughter when my son was doing his act but I really didn't think much of it. After the meeting my daughter came up to me and ask me if I saw Jonathan (her brother) when the person was doing their singing? I said yes and then she said; "I tried to stop him but he didn't listen, so I decided to hide in the corner because I was so EMBARRASSED by him".

The way in which my daughter told me this statement was so precious in and of itself. She was mortified by her brother's actions and didn't want to be associated with him so she decided to hide in the corner. She later went on to ask me; "what are we going to do him?" I told her I didn't really know and hopefully he will grow out of this phase because he is a boy and a five year old boy at that. The amazing thing to me is that my daughter all of 8 years of age has taken it upon herself to be the mother hen and really is quite cute.

I don't know when it happened but my daughter has matured so very much in this past year and I am so happy to have experienced her growth. She is a great kid with a great heart and even if she doesn't think so she loves her brother dearly. I had the great pleasure this afternoon of watching the two of them interact and it was great to see how well they DO get along. These moments maybe brief but there is so much sisterly and brotherly love I am truly blessed by these children.

Life has given me a second chance to cherish these opportunities and I am trying my best to NOT miss these opportunities. I am so very grateful to have been given this second chance and really enjoy my children. One year ago I wouldn't have thought it possible to have this opportunity but I am so very grateful for life is truly beautiful. In my life there is so much beauty and on this very special Sunday I had the distinct pleasure of sharing my recovery with some very special friends in GA and my truly remarkable family.