John S.
June 3, 2003
In keeping with Chris K’s tradition of publishing coincidences…I offer the following litany of small but powerful miracles that I experienced early in recovery:
When I was released from treatment in August 1985, I had spent nearly 3 months in various institutions.
As you might imagine, I was unemployable and had a significant amount of debt, was on probation with a LARGE sum of money to repay (this was a forced ninth step for financial amends).
I had no telephone and cell phones were non-existent, so I traveled up the street to a pay phone when I needed to call someone. I went to meetings every day, sometimes trying to see how many I could go to in a 24 hour period.
I hung out at a Club, where they let me use their phone as my contact number for jobs. Once in a while someone would buy me breakfast or lunch. I was on public assistance getting food stamps and occasionally I would go to the food bank and get a bag of food.
The day after Thanksgiving 1985 I knocked on a door of s brokerage firm and inquired about a job.
I happens that on that day the principal of the firm was fed up with his assistant and asked me if I would like to have a job! I made .35 per hour, which came to .00 per week after taxes. The State in their generosity gave me a a month supplement, paid for my training and also paid the fees for me to get a broker’s license.
One day the State called my workplace and asked how I was doing and if I needed their help any longer. I told them I was fine and that I was then making enough to make ends meet.
Later that month I received a letter that I still have, it recounted my experience with the State and made mention of how far I had come. Finally, it said that they were proud of me. That was one of the happiest occasions of my life to that point. I was nine months clean.
John S.
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