The Evidence of a Higher Power in the Coincidences — Mary J.

About This Speaker Tape

Pawtucket, Rhode Island. A young girl makes notches in liquor labels to hide the water she pours in to cover her theft. Mary J. describes a life spent "monkeying around," from beach parties on Block Island to a desperate attempt to find safety at a Quaker college. The wreckage mounted: blackouts, fake reports, and a string of cars hit in parking lots. She describes the "sour, icky smell" of alcohol coming through her pores in a hospital elevator, the scent of a person saturated in their own demise.

After years of "false premises" and using people, she hit a wall of isolation in Maryland. She recalls a "shot of grace" that led her to a meeting across the street. Under the guidance of a retired Navy captain, she began collecting "evidence" of a Higher Power—the strange, favorable coincidences that prove she isn't the one in control. From a chance encounter in Toronto to a late-career pivot into medicine, she traces how desperation became an opportunity for a life of service.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Introduction by John Shires
• 4:45 Early drinking habits and the 'notch in the label' trick to hide alcohol consumption
• 10:20 Career as an airline stewardess and the onset of blackouts and workplace issues
• 16:40 The transition to medical sales in Maryland and hitting a physical and mental bottom
• 22:10 First contact with AA and the experience of the first meeting in Annapolis
• 28:30 Relapse on a boat and the decision to find a serious sponsor
• 33:15 Working the second step and tracking coincidences as evidence of a Higher Power
• 37:40 Meeting Don R. in Toronto and subsequent marriage
• 46:10 Pursuing a degree as a Physician Assistant and moving back to Rhode Island
• 51:20 Journey through General Service from GSR to Northeast Regional Trustee