The Board meeting ran longer than I expected and I didn't get home until 6:30. I help facilitate a Celebrate Recovery Group and had to leave home by 6:45 in order to make it to the meeting on time.

I have to tell you, I was dead tired and the last thing I wanted to do was attend another meeting. I told my husband that for two cents I'd stay home. He turned and shouted at me," WELL, YOU'RE GOING AREN'T YOU?" I was immediately furious and in my rage I let him know in no uncertain terms that yes, I would go.

When I got to the meeting, one of the other members looked at me and made a comment about getting there tired, angry and all that other stuff. I told her that she was exactly right, that the last place I wanted to be was at that meeting but I was there now and would make the best of it. In order to understand the importance of all of this you need to know that I am an alcoholic in recovery. The rest of the people in this group were in a supporting role of people fighting addictions. I was the only person in this group of women actually recovering from an addiction. Lo and behold there was a new woman attending the group for the first that night. She is recovering from many different types of addictions including alcohol and other drugs. Had I not shown up that night there would have been no one that she could relate to. Hmmmmmmmmmm. Do you think God had a plan?

After we got home I blasted my husband for yelling at me before we left. He looked at me in a funny way and told me that he had asked me in a soft quiet voice if I was going to go to the meeting.

It's obvious to me that I didn't hear Sam. What I heard was God getting my attention in a way that He knew I would respond to. I guess that I need to thank God for my wake up call because I really did need to be at that meeting that night.

I think that from now on I will listen a little more closely when God speaks to me. It is not a pleasant experience when He raises His voice to you.