Friends and a GA Meeting

It appears putting myself on a liquid restrictive diet last night helped me to not get up so many times during the night. I only got up twice instead of the usual 7 times. I forced myself to stay in bed until 6:15 am. I couldn’t see staying in bed any longer because my very dear friends from GA were coming to see me. It was going to be a very special day since they are planning a GA meeting. I was very excited in so many ways. I hadn’t seen a few of my friends in almost a year and I hadn’t been to a meeting in almost the same time period.

I leisurely took a shower and then shaved for the second day in a row so I could look presentable for my friends. Back in Jamestown I could shower, shave, and dress within 10 minutes. This morning it took me 45 minutes because there wasn’t any rush. I dressed in my regular “oranges” – for the visit (these were the ones that were ironed by my friend). About 5 minutes before the official visiting time (8:30 am), I saw my friend’s car pull into the parking lot. Two minutes later, the car pulled out because according to the rules no one is allowed in the parking lot until visiting hours begin.

I was thrilled to see his car reappear for the second time as the visiting hours had officially begun. I saw my friends walk into the visiting area and this was my cue to go outside and wait for my name to be called. Sure enough 3 minutes later, my name was called and I made my way over to the office. I got there very quickly and even the CO commented as to how fast that was. With all the paperwork signed, I saw 5 of my dear friends setting up on one of the picnic tables. I walked over and was greeted with 5 exceptional hugs. Wow, I had such a warm feeling inside me because here were 5 dear friends who were strangers over 2 years ago. Now each one of them is an integral part of my life.

After the warm embraces, I was able to give one of my friends some more mail to put with my items that he already has stored for me. Also, he was kind enough to bring my real running watch which I quickly put on my wrist while giving away the very thin watch I have been wearing over the past 10 ½ months. Now I will be able to tell what time it is when it is dark because this watch has a light.

All of the administrative matters were put to rest and it was time for the GA meeting. It was a celebration of my 2 year birthday with the official date of February 28th. These are phenomenal people and I am so blessed that they are a huge part pf my life. It felt so good to have a GA meeting which I have missed so much over the past year. The program has saved my life and continues to do so. There aren’t any substitutes for a live meeting and I could feel my recovery strengthening as the meeting moved on. I realized that no matter where I am, I want GA to be an integral part of my life. I need these meeting no matter how good or bad I feel. It is an incredible program and today was another example of its power.

We all had a chance to share and we also entered into some very good discussions. Everything in my life happens for a reason and my current situation is no different. There has been pain on this journey, but the healing has made the pain diminish. This comes in many different sources and today was a huge dose. I was surrounded by 5 genuine, caring, loving people who understand the essence of recovery. I was so happy to be part of this fantastic group. The meeting was excellent and now we are going to make it a monthly event. I thought this was a great idea and now I can attend without any fuss. The visiting area is a perfect setting for a meeting because there is shade and the picnic table sits 8 people comfortably. Apparently there are people in the fellowship who have joined after my departure who want to visit me. This is truly remarkable because it is once again the power of the GA Program.

I had a big smile for the 2 ½ hours that my friends stayed. This smile lasted all day and I still have a warm feeling inside and I can feel all the love that has been bestowed on me. What started out over 2 years ago as the worst time in my life has now blossomed into the best time of my life. I have so many special people in my life now than I ever had and 5 of them were with me today. Life can be mystifying, baffling, and at times tough; however, on days like today my life is truly a great blessing. Unfortunately, the visit and the GA Meeting had come to an end. My friends do have their own families and lives to lead. I was so honored they would take the time out of their busy lives and spend a morning with me. Their departure was very much like their arrival as I received 5 warm hugs. It was a wonderful morning with hugs, laughs, smiles, and stories of recovery. This was my best Sunday morning since arriving at prison some 10 ½ months ago. The odyssey of getting here has been a long road; however, seeing my dear friends and being able to partake of a GA meeting was just incredible. I am right where I need to be and I would like to thank my friends for an unbelievable day! I now have friends in my life who are truly friends for life and they taught me the true meaning of friendship.

My friends walked across the road to their car and I walked back to camp. I was able to bring back a small yellow combo book we used for the GA meeting. I had to go through the office to check back into the camp and unlike last week where the CO just waved me back in, this time I was patted down. Although I would love to bring back all the food my friends had left, I could not because it is against the rules. I will not do anything to jeopardize my standing here at camp. I worked hard to get here and I fully intend to parole on the 28th of February which is really not that far away. One day at a time and now with the advent of the monthly GA meeting, those days continue to be filled with blessings.

As I was walked out of the visiting area, there was an inmate sitting near the exit who is the camp clerk. He was very instrumental in getting me here and asked if my visitors were family. I replied, “No, they are friends.” He nodded his head and was very impressed to see friends visit an inmate. I thought to myself, “These friends ARE part of my family.” They are my GA family which spans across the county and across the world. GA is a special program and it is fundamental in my recovery – without it I was a lost soul. Now I continue to flourish. I have so much going for me and my friends emphasized the need for my recovery. Without recovery, I fail, but with it, I grow and experience beauty. Today was a beautiful day in so many ways. I was so happy to experience the beauty today. My life does get better through recovery and the blessings are endless.