“God give me a generous spirit in all I say and do, generous in my words to speak kindly of others, generous in my forgiveness to restore relationships, generous in my support to those in need around me. Let my generosity not be an occasional act, but a way of life, the core from which my behavior emerges, generous in praise, patience and prayer.” —Bishop Steven Charleston, Daily Facebook page.
Today On Saints Day I remember “Columbus,” someone well known by all in the recovery community in Little Rock, Arkansas ,only by his first name. Every year, usually early in the morning on the birthday of your sobriety, you got a phone call from Columbus. You waited in anticipation for that call, celebrating one more year of new life with someone you knew only over the phone lines.
Columbus’ wife of forty-six years would leave him three times before he went into his last rehabilitation, after many DWIs and missed work, and days when she admitted not knowing where he was. Columbus died in the thirty-eighth year of his sobriety and was credited with having led to sobriety thousands of men and women all over the world.
Columbus made 15,000 calls a year and almost half a million calls before his death. He also called people he knew were no longer in recovery and told them he cared about them. Many people say they returned to recovery because of Columbus.
Columbus’ wife described his change when he went into recovery as “truly unbelievable. He became a dedicated and involved father and grandfather after he came so close to losing his family.”
When I hear people wonder what they could possibly do to make a difference in the world, I tell them Columbus’ story: one man with a generous heart, picking up the phone every day, and changing lives with a simple phone call. One day at a time.
This may be the way saints live. They are resurrection people. They know what Good Friday is like. They change themselves and the world one day at a time.
Joanna. Joannaseibert.com
Book Signing Wordsworth Books
This Saturday, November 2, 2019 1 to 3 pm
Just in time for the holidays
A Spiritual Rx for Advent Christmas, and Epiphany
The Sequel to A Spiritual Rx for Lent and Easter
Both are $18. Money from sale of the books goes to Camp Mitchel Camp and Conference Center in Arkansas or Hurricane Relief in The Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast