Delightful share: An Al-Anon member for 21 years since November 1995, Jeannette was the middle of five children from a Kennesaw, GA, teetotaler, church going family. Her dad was a deacon of the church. But she wanted more than that.
She had met her husband Jerry when they were teenagers.
"But I didn't have my eyes focused on him. I had another alcoholic in mind."
She decided to marry an alcoholic marine against her father's wishes. Instead of a white picket fence she got a divorce after it was obvious he would not get any better. Her parents disapproved as well believing the institution of marriage is sacred.
She met an older, professional, wealthy, tall, blue-eyed alcoholic in a bar, dated for a year then moved with him to Ft. Lauderdale, FL knowing her parents would not like the arrangement.
He drank and after five years she demanded and got a marriage - in Las Vegas, the groom wearing sunglasses with the cab driver as the witness - very romantic.
He quit his job and they lived on a boat but that wasn't the solution. She took a job offer back home that was her sign that it was over. She divorced him and moved back near her parents.
Three years later her father died and she began to take care of her mother.
Then she met Jerry again, now 10 years sober and they dated for over a year. Then he asked her mother for her blessing and proposed to Jeannette on bended knee.
She attended AA meetings at first to support Jerry and he suggested she look into Al-Anon. She found over time that she needed meetings of her own.
A great believer in service, she started a meeting in Acworth, GA and helped keep the oldest meeting going in Cartersville Georgia sometimes being the only attendee for weeks in a row.
She has had numerous health issues over the years. The fellowship, and especially Jerry, have stayed by her and given her strength and encouragement.
She shares the lessons her sponsor taught her in the spirit of Pass-It-On.
She and Jerry have been the consistent servants to the Allatoona Roundup that had its 40th year in 2017.
When Jerry asked her why she kept marrying alcoholics she said they were lots of fun in the beginning.
Jerry shared at this event as well.
(50 min) (8.7 MB) (id#1864)