A lesson from Tina Diaz.
My sponsee in recovery died of cancer Sunday night at
11:10pm. She was 2 years and 4 months sober and absolutely LOVED LIVING
LIFE. When I met her, she was in
remission and just beginning a new journey in sobriety. Just a short time later, the cancer showed up
again and she fought hard to survive another bout. Sadly she has passed, but not without leaving
behind tons of memories and a bit of her tenacious spirit in all who loved her. Over the past year, I’ve heard myself say on
several occasions something like, “If there’s a way to die well, Tina’s doing
it”.
Throughout her fight, she spent all her stored energy experiencing brand new adventures. She was one mighty woman! She won a scavenger hunt and danced at my wedding. A memory I will never forget. She parasailed, went on retreats, threw birthday
parties for her family (played in the bounce houses herself!), let it loose in
Disneyland, and all sorts of other things. She lived!
From her sick bed, she would send us out from our visits
saying things like "Go get a newcomer ladies!" She wanted everyone to get the life and
freedom she found in recovery. She had a
clear purpose to share her story with other alcoholics and she never passed up
a chance to reach out to someone in pain.
She inspired so many women to admit their problems were not so big, to
swallow hard, to suit up and to help someone out. If Tina could, they could too.
She was a fierce mother and so loved both her children and her
grandchildren. She would do anything for
any of them and didn’t bat an eye to defend them. She would get this ‘don’t mess with my kid’
face on if someone began to cross a line, and if her accent returned, oh man, watch
out! Her family surrounded her in her
final moments. She was a blessed woman.
She loved having prayers sent her way. It was like she could feel them comforting
and energizing her. You could see her
whole body change and her chest expand as she took in the prayers and well
wishes sent from her friends. Occasionally,
she would cry while she listened to longer prayers. It was as if the longer ones filled her up so
much that she overflowed in tears. The
way it moved her was so inspiring that I came to find more comfort in prayer
than ever before in my life. She taught me
how to pray comfortably, honestly and without reservation. I was not shy in prayer with Tina. She was a woman of awesome faith and she showed
me how to carry my own faith with more grace and confidence. She told her friends and family that when the
time came for her to go from this life, she would not be afraid. She would be filled with love and taken home. What faith!
I am humbled to have ever met Tina and am so grateful for
all she taught me. I hope you can find
strength, hope and faith in her story.
She would love you to know more of them all!
“To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends -- this is an experience you must not miss.” -BigBook of Alcoholics Anonymous, p.89, Working With Others
No comments:
Post a Comment