The phone rang. It was...
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The phone rang. It was Karen, one of the most committed members in our congregation. "Can I come and talk with you?" Karen asked. "Of course," I replied.
Karen arrived on time. She sat down on the edge of a chair. Her foot tapped a staccato beat on the floor. Her hands were clasped so tightly that I was afraid she was going to bruise herself. Obviously Karen had something important to say.
"What I'm going to say will really shock you," Karen began. As I started to open my mouth to respond, she held up her hand and continued, "So please, just let me say what I have to say before I lose my nerve." And then Karen proceeded to tell me about her secret life as an alcoholic. She told me of the times she'd let her children go hungry because she had to have a drink. She talked about how angry she became when she was drunk and how she took it out on her husband and children. She cried when she talked about cheating on her husband and selling her body to make enough money to buy the next bottle. She talked about how hard it was to be one person in public and another person in the privacy of her own home. She twirled her wedding ring when she talked about her husband's ultimatum. "He said I had to go to Alcoholics Anonymous or he'd leave me and take the kids with him," she said. "And I must have been at my lowest because I heard what he had to say. That's why I'm here today. The Fifth Step of AA involves telling somehow about the awful things we've done and about receiving forgiveness. Do you think God could ever forgive me?" Karen cried.
And I replied, "Your sins are forgiven. Go in God's peace."
-- Conroy
Karen arrived on time. She sat down on the edge of a chair. Her foot tapped a staccato beat on the floor. Her hands were clasped so tightly that I was afraid she was going to bruise herself. Obviously Karen had something important to say.
"What I'm going to say will really shock you," Karen began. As I started to open my mouth to respond, she held up her hand and continued, "So please, just let me say what I have to say before I lose my nerve." And then Karen proceeded to tell me about her secret life as an alcoholic. She told me of the times she'd let her children go hungry because she had to have a drink. She talked about how angry she became when she was drunk and how she took it out on her husband and children. She cried when she talked about cheating on her husband and selling her body to make enough money to buy the next bottle. She talked about how hard it was to be one person in public and another person in the privacy of her own home. She twirled her wedding ring when she talked about her husband's ultimatum. "He said I had to go to Alcoholics Anonymous or he'd leave me and take the kids with him," she said. "And I must have been at my lowest because I heard what he had to say. That's why I'm here today. The Fifth Step of AA involves telling somehow about the awful things we've done and about receiving forgiveness. Do you think God could ever forgive me?" Karen cried.
And I replied, "Your sins are forgiven. Go in God's peace."
-- Conroy
