Merging recovery

So, I was thinking earlier as I was writing some thoughts on my Lyme forum site about the Lyme disease being a 'we' disease. Isn't that what life is... really. Life is truly a 'we' journey. I am a recovering alcoholic with almost 6 years of continuous sobriety under me. I owe that to God, of which I understand that has brought me from the pits of hell to this place of spiritual contentment (for the most part anyway:)

I didn't know how to live life before coming to meetings. I was a complete mess. I began to learn that there are others that also didn't know how to live life. Then that person met another person and together they did life together and as their experience, strength and hope grew... so did their happiness and the fulfillment from helping others in teaching them how to live their life one day at a time based on what worked for the ones who went before them. Pretty soon there's an entire community of others helping others!

Living with Lyme disease is no different than this, really. It is as simple as one person who needs help looking to another person who needed that same help and learned how and where to get it, then if they are truly grateful for that experience, they will gladly pass the knowledge on to others that can benefit from the information. If it wasn't for others in my online Lyme community sharing with others what worked and is working for them, I wouldn't be as confident in beating this as I am today.

My gratitude means always looking to the spiritual gifts in my life. When I first got sober, I was pretty superficial, I could only write down things like house, cars, money, things, things, things!! Which is okay... it helped me get out of myself and think about the things in life I did have rather than looking at what I didn't have.
Today however, I am able to search deeper. I am truly grateful for the capability to think beyond my self. I have a peace and serenity that goes beyond all understanding! I have a confidence and love for myself, the kind of love where when I look in the mirror, I can look myself in the eyes and tell that person looking back "I love you"! That took a while to learn how to do, but I finally came to that point I could, and how fulfilling!

I am also grateful that I can listen to my gut tell me what is right and wrong. What feels okay and what feels yucky. This took a longer time to develop and it still developing over time. I am not perfect by any means, I am better than I used to be. God continues to show me ways to listen to that small voice.
So many times I will go through something and then look back and think, 'so that's why I was so discontent?' or 'that's why it felt right to do'. Other times I have no clue why I needed to do what I did, but someday I will. That is where the developing of trust and faith comes. When something happens and you can't figure out why but having the faith that someday you'll be shown.