Saturday, May 12, 2007

Ships in the night


I talked with my sponsor B. yesterday and found out that he won't be arriving back into town until sometime later on Sunday. I leave to catch the ship in Tampa early on Monday so it looks as if we'll not get to meet face to face before I leave.

I'm glad that he's coming home as it's been a long 3 week trip to see people, places and things. B. is tired of being on the road now and just wants to get back to the usual routine. In his own words to me: " ...placed silk sweet peas on my Mom's spot in a mausoleum, which was nearby to my Godmother's site (a very special person in my younger years)...... It was a very tearful, joyful, sad, mixed emotion time for me, as I realize that I may never pass that way again. This prompted me to take one final look at my Dad's last home (property is sold of course) - and at the plantation where I grew up..... In spite of it having changed...... it was still the basic place, and once again, the memories washed over me. I felt the old times and just drank in the beauty of it all......". It's been a trip of memories from the past and a reunion with family members.

B. isn't sure that there will be another trip due to some health problems. I think that the HP isn't done with B. yet though and that there will be many more years ahead on which to build more memories and to reach out a hand to those of us who need his words of encouragement and support. I am privileged to have B. as my sponsor.

So even though we'll not be able to meet face to face for several weeks, I think that the foundation that B. has helped me to build in my program will carry me through. And my friends, all that you have shared in your writings about your E, S, and H will also be with me. Those are things that distance can't take away.
We won't ever just be ships in the night that pass and then move on.

"Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing, only a signal shown, and a distant voice in the darkness; So on the ocean of life, we pass and speak one another, only a look and a voice, then darkness again and a silence. "
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

7 comments:

  1. Syd, I love your pictures and quotes thanks:-)

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  2. Thank you for a beautiful post. I'm glad you're one of my ships.

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  3. aww. that's a nice story about your sponsor. are the pics you post your own or royalty free ones from online? because they look LOVELY. I forgot how colorful the sky is when you are away from the city. looks great! what a view..

    yeah the ''fellowship of the spirit" is a very real thing. its not a fairy story. you can just 'feel' it after a while. its quite distinct really. we sort of get 'embedded' in the collective psyche of the group and other like minded people. or something. who knows. but we are all very connected. but for some reason we have a very tangible connection with other members of the fellowship. i STILL find it weird that I have such a strong sense of 'family' with aa's. in some Buddhist circles they call it 'group soup'. i have distinctly different feelings of connection with different groups of people. i feel connected to monks different than aa's. aa feels the most like 'family', but monks and nuns feel different. more refined and soft. weird really. Actually mow that I think of it, everyone is different, but there is a strong degree of similarity in the way I can feel about fellowship people. I love the increased sensitivity that being drug and drink free gives us. We can just 'tune into' things more. Which is pretty cool. Right I'm off!

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  4. This makes me wonder about an analogy for ships passing in the daylight. Or maybe in the light of dawn.

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  5. Syd,
    I wish there was an Al-Anon where I live, it sounds like good therapy to me. Something we all need!
    But seeing that's not available to me here,,,,I'll get my connection through you. I love your posts...they make me think about things I've never thought about before..they make me question things I've never questioned...they cause me to look in the mirror...
    That's powerful stuff!
    Thanks.

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