An Unforgettable Thanksgiving Memory
Bill is a recent graduate from our S.A.V.E. program. I asked him to share his Thanksgiving memory.
As a recovering alcoholic with just over a year of sobriety trying to find fond memories of Thanksgiving past is quite elusive to me for two reasons. 1) I have not a single recollection of most holidays over the last 20 years. 2) What I do remember I’d rather forget. Unless I go as far back to my preteen years, it is just not a worthwhile effort for me to try and isolate a decent memory out of a vast sea of bad ones. But, then I remember my first Thanksgiving sober under the auspices of Mel Trotter Ministries just last year in 2010.
It was quite a marvelous affair at the massive DeVos Place located in the midst of the Grand Rapids downtown area. Not only was the dinner itself of grand spectacular proportions, but it was what took place following this gala affair that really cements itself in the annals of my mind. I remember it quite vividly like it happened just yesterday. My fellow Mel Trotter cohorts and I were thoroughly enjoying our tasty, generous portions, while being lavishly waited upon by a couple of very gracious and eager volunteers who made themselves readily available to our every beckon call.
As the evening was quickly coming to a close, we thanked our servers with much gratitude and appreciation. In return for the fastidious “service with a smile” we had received, a woman who was serving us simply asked for our prayers since she was going to see her physician that Monday regarding her recent diagnosis of cancer whose prognosis was looking quite grim. We agreed we would keep her in our prayers and then proceeded to excuse ourselves from the table and return back to Mel Trotter. At that moment, one of my companions felt compelled or, dare I say, convicted by the Holy Spirit to pray for her right then and there. We called her back to the table and all circled around her in prayer. My heart was pierced as I saw the tears trickle down her face in response to our praying aloud for her unknown fate. She was obviously deeply touched by our sincere desire to see her delivered from such a bleak prospect for the future. We then exited the building feeling elated by the fact that we were able to respond to the convictions of the Holy Spirit with immediate action and not the usual procrastinating complacency that had plagued our addiction riddled pasts. We felt triumphant in our resolve to make the presence of God a reality in our lives instead of maintaining a passive unproductive role in His creation.
The startling reality of how God’s influence in my life impacting others was at first euphoric and then quite sobering when I realized all the time that was wasted in my efforts of futility chasing the wind of alcohol, materialism, and what the world defines as success. That following week I was again jolted by God’s working through others as we were read a letter in our daily morning chapel meeting. The letter, sent by a woman who was profoundly touched by an anonymous group of men who prayed for her that Thanksgiving Day, stated that she just wanted to let us know that her prognosis had taken a dramatic 180 degree turn around and she was cleared of any and all signs of cancer. I could not hold back the tears as I could feel God’s miraculous hand at work in my life and the lives of others. I am eternally thankful that I can now refer to my last Thanksgiving as an amazing memory that I will gladly share for years to come.
