My sobriety date is 12/12/2015. I was just figuring out what recovery from alcohol addiction was like when my wife and I took our children to Florida for our annual Easter vacation. Being that I was raised on the water as a child, I tried to take my 4 sons fishing whenever we traveled to Florida to visit their grandmother. This year was no different, aside from the fact I was sober and feeling scared and inferior during this year’s vacation. To help me in my recovery I joined AA and was learning about their program, especially the concept of turning my will over to my Higher Power. I was raised a Creacher, which is essentially a non-practicing Catholic that only attends church on Christmas and Easter. I was very familiar with the concept of God but never truly got my hands around it, aside from praying to him when I wanted something for myself.

This year’s fishing trip was not going as well as previous years. Captain Randy from the charter vessel, The Miss Annie, out of Sailfish Marina, knew us well as he had taken our family fishing many times before. In fact, he told us we were his favorite charter because we always caught many different species of fish. Kyle was our mate and he worked very hard, setting up the 7 rods for trolling, keeping fresh bait on the lines, and landing and releasing and or boxing the fish we caught. It was a hard job but he was very good at it.

We had been trolling our 7 rod spread for several hours with no action. The lull in the fishing action was unfamiliar to us and I was less present and aware on this trip as I typically was, as my mind was filled with curiosity, concern, and wonderment about my new sober life in Recovery. During the 2 hour lull, my oldest son Flynn would machine-gun fire fishing questions to Kyle, while his younger brothers scrambled around for sodas and stared excitedly into the abyss to seek the slightest bit of evidence for anything that appeared fish-like. I stared into the abyss seeking answers about my new sober life and whether or not a Higher Power truly existed. And more importantly, if it was available to help me through this new scary chapter of my life.

With the noise of bored children keeping themselves entertained and the rattling off questions for Kyle in the background, I humbly prayed for a sign that God was out there and ready to help me. “Please help me, God. I am struggling to believe but I desperately need your help. I know you exist but help elevate my faith. Please show me a sign you are near and are watching over me and my family. I am scared and me and my family need you now more than ever. Show me a sign please.” I knew my request was silly and in fact, I even felt guilty asking God to prove his existence. How arrogant of me to expect that the most powerful being in the Universe needs to prove anything to me. Regardless, I picked up my head and stared out into the abyss once again with faith.

To my shock, 1 minute later, 3 fishing poles came to life and as anyone that has been deep sea fishing would expect, our mate Kyle screams “Fish on!” Our 2 hour lull of watching 7 fishing rods stand at attention came to an end as they were now bent in half! The air was filled with the whining and whizzing of spooling reels with big fish on the other end with my 4 treasures yelling with excitement. Despite all the action, we did not bring in any fish but to me, it felt like we brought in a world-record catch. My prayers had been answered. My Higher Power gave me the sign I needed to believe he is watching over me and my family. God ended our boring fishing trip and launched me into my recovery program with eyes wide open for his presence along my new journey. The confirmation of his existence was all I needed to change my world for the better.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!