We have made these pages available to members of the recovery community who wish to share their experience, strength, and hope with others.

Peter's Story

Hello friends. Yesterday I experienced something for the first time. One of the men I sponsor died peacefully and most importantly sober.

"It has been less than 24 hours since he passed away and its really starting to sink in."

His name was Mel and he was 67 years and had two and half years of sobriety. When I met him he had just moved from his car into a house with an old friend and I actually was at his first meeting.

He was a wreck. He asked me to be his sponsor thinking that someone less than half his age would probably say no, but he was asking the wrong guy; I'm just a fella who can't say no. Mel was one of the most loving, kindest, warm human beings I ever met. He was a friend to my family and so many others around me.

He loved AA; the meetings and people like us nursed him back to health and sanity and made his hard edges disappear. It has been less than 24 hours since he passed away and its really starting to sink in.

I will miss him the most on Mother's Day; when he called to wish me a happy day; because he said I was like his mother to him; I'll miss him at the most crucial moment of a major sporting event when the phone would ring without fail at the very second the pitch left the pitcher's hand or the quarterback dropped back to pass, and I'll really miss him on Christmas when he went to my family's Christmas party and laughed and told stories and finally had found the thing we all hope to find.

Worked the Program

He did the real work of the program and saved his life by being willing to do whatever he had to do to stay sober. I wish you guys could have met Mel; you'd have made a friend for life. I know I did and I really wanted him to know Jenny and my kid.

"Only people like us understand what guys like Mel mean to each other."

He would have been a great uncle. But, yesterday coming home from work and crying my eyes out I realized he's somewhere watching over us and he'll never die in my mind and my heart and so many other people's mind and hearts because the lovable never die; the lovable are never forgotten and the lovable inspire long after they are gone.

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to talk about my friend; only people like us understand what guys like Mel mean to each other.

Bye for now,
Peter S.

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