To Lift his Spirits

After many years of living as a dry drunk, I found my way back into the rooms of AA. I had been working the program vigilantly for almost a year and a half when my sobriety was tested in ways I never imagined. My brother was diagnosed with cancer, and two days later our father, who had been ill for many years, committed suicide. The final blow came eight weeks later when my only child was sentenced to two years in prison for another DUI. In my grief and pain I couldn’t imagine any punishment worse than a prison sentence for Daniel (I’ve changed his name to protect his anonymity). I was devastated and didn’t know how he or I would be able to endure that fate. How could I help Daniel or lift his spirits for the next two years, when I felt so despondent myself?