A Member Shares On...
ICEBERGS AND VOLCANOES
A young stay-at-home mother of two children under six, I called a therapist for advice. As the therapist listened to my bitter complaints, she said she wouldn’t work with me and referred me to Al-Anon. Truly desperate to make my husband stop drinking so all my problems would disappear, I went to my first meeting.
What do I recall of that first meeting? An encounter with the kindness and caring of the members which keeps me coming back many years later.
At that first meeting, what describes me best is the picture of a volcano inside an iceberg — my feelings so frozen, I felt numb; and so filled inside with hurt and anger turned to rage that they were burning up my spirit (all the contradictions included).
Although confused at first, months of attending meetings convinced me of the priority of the Steps and Traditions. Listening as well as I could to member shares, I learned to use the index of feelings in my daily reader. Because I observed others report a sense of calm and less fear and anger through sponsorship, I got a Sponsor and poured out my heart to her in hopes of some kind of serenity.
Only the life-giving balm of the Steps, Traditions, sponsorship, service, and fellowship of Al-Anon melted the iceberg and healed my spirit.