New Second Sponsor

Got a new sponsor last night, by accident. It's like I tripped and fell over him. While I was at The Mar League Meeting, they made the obligatory statement, "If you are in need of a temporary sponsor, please feel free to ask someone here you feel comfortable with. If anyone would like to be a temporary sponsor, please raise your hand." A whole group of men across from my aisle raised their hands. Since I hadn't heard anyone speak yet, I didn't know who I might ask, so I desperately tried in vane to remember their faces.

At the break, I was speaking with an attractive young lady (another one of my vises) I remembered from my last sobriety attempt when Tom S. approached me, hand outstretched, holding out a meeting card with his name and number on it. He was among the sponsors who'd raised their hands, so I assumed he was presenting himself as one. Grabbing his card I asked if he was a sponsor and immediately his smile turned to shock. He looked around at the group I was apart of and said something to the effect, "Um, well, no, well yes, err, maybe, well...see I was wondering if you needed a ride after the meeting?" You know, they say when you assume, you make an ass out of you and me; could not have been more true in this case. Women in the group flashing stares of, "What? You're going to turn down a sponsee?" He said we'll talk about it on the way home.

And we did. In the short drive home, he explained how he works as a sponsor, that I should call him everyday, and to leave a message on voice mail if he's not available, and leave it at that for the day. Short due to the nature of the ride: I could've bused it back, but would've had to leave the meeting early in order to make my curfew imposed by The House.

He said he was a very spiritual man. I admitted this was the part of the program I was having the most difficulty with. I told him about attitudes at The House, especially during Morning Meditation (which had become anything but) when this one man speaks of faith and challenges everyone's disregarding their chosen faith, usually ending in arguments with residents. So, he recommended I pray for him. That night I sent up the useless prayer and the next morning it worked! I didn't even pray that he'd stop, just for himself. Hmmm. . .odder things have happened.

When I called him that night; he said my phone call made his day. Twelfth step and all. It made me pause and smile.

Without Wax,