Boost of Hope and Perspective

8.9.25

Wow! What an amazing group of speakers at the Gem State Round Up today. The panels featured members from local home groups in the Treasure Valley, and the guest speaker flew in all the way from Atlanta, GA. The theme for the event was “Awakenings,” and I needed those messages of spirituality and hope more than I realized.

The guest speaker’s story hit me right in the heart. She spoke about how trauma and loss can trigger the kind of alcoholic angst I’ve been wrestling with these past few weeks—that restless, irritable, and uneasy feeling in sobriety when emotions bubble up and you can’t numb them like you used to. In AA, that “angst” often signals we’re on the edge of some kind of growth, even if it feels uncomfortable or scary in the moment.

Her experience—and her faith—taught her that these moments often come right before a spiritual awakening, because that’s when we need it the most. Well, I’m ready, Higher Power! No pressure.

There were so many takeaways from today, and I’m grateful I was able to be there, hear those words, and feel that connection.