"Thee" Terry Sue, My "Friend" and Sponsor.

I don't even know where to begin to tell you about Terry Sue, my "Friend", Sponsor, Spiritual Consultant, and so many other things. The day Terry Sue called me his "Friend" my world shook! A lot of people would pay or kill to have Terry Sue as a "friend". It means the world to me that, not only is he MY FRIEND, but I AM HIS FRIEND and treat him accordingly: with Love and Respect!

If you put all the people I have ever known in AA in one room ( and that is thousands), Terry Sue, as always, stands out amongst them all; his entire life and 24 + years of sobriety is simply about one thing: Staying clean and Sober and HELPING another Alcoholic or Addict to achieve sobriety (AA's 5th Tradition) and he does this DAILY! We in AA in Los Angeles have a saying about Terry Sue : "If you don't know who Terry Sue is, then you are not going to enough meetings." He's, well, kinda famous!

Yet, as anyone knows in AA ( the Program,as we call it) not too many know what our MAIN PURPOSE (Tradition 5 again) is nor do many bother to follow it. Terry Sue, among others in my life, have endured a lot to see me as I am today. My dear friend Joey, who died last year and was Terry Sue's roommate, when he spoke of me and Terry Sue would give him shit about me, he would say, 'But you don't KNOW Denny!" Terry Sue's response then was, "Yea, and I don't want to either" and would walk away. Well, funny how things change! Right after Joey died, Terry Sue took me home 'cuz I basically had no place to go and said he would Sponsor me. That was over a year+ ago and I have never left!

Since that time he has put up with countless relapses, me being admitted to the ER on more than one occasion for some illness and multiple kidney failures, etc. He also has SEEN me come home after coming up missing for several days, completely torn-up, weak, sick, dehydrated, starved, frail and broken- once again. He has seen me "hit the wall" many times, but he never gave up hope, nor gave up on me.

Terry Sue is one of the most wise, loving, kind, gentle spirits I have ever known and probably ever will. His caring, support, hope and love has basically kept me alive when I saw nothing to live for - many times. He was always there for me, and sez he always will be! What a GIFT. And I will ALWAYS be there for him. As with my other FRIENDS, I owe much to Terry Sue. If I could only do a tenth for someone what he has done for me, I would die an ACCOMPLISHED man: to HELP someone else, who is needlessly suffering in their addiction and cannot see a way out, achieve what I have today: Peace, Peace-of-Mind, a wealth of wonderful friends, and the knowledge of WHO I AM, and that my SUFFERING in my addiction for years, my experience, can HELP someone else. What incredible GIFTS I have today- and they are just that : GIFTS!

I love you, Terry Sue. "DON'T GET IT TWISTED"! You may not really be the Queen of Everything, as I tease you about, but you always have a seat on the thorn in my castle!

Quote for the Day? Something Terry Sue has told me many times, until I understood: "GO WHERE THE LOVE IS!" Especially if you are having a bad day. Friends-again- remind of us of who we are and that we are LOVEABLE!

My short version of the Serentity Prayer is simply 2 words: "FUCK 'EM!"