Jessica Celebration of Life

This month we lost a beloved member of our AA family, dearest Jessica M. Beautiful and newly-married to Dan, Jess was solid in her AA program, a loving mother to two boys, and successful in her work. She touched many people in the recovery community, evidenced by the number of people gathered tonight to celebrate her. She certainly impacted me, and I’m honored for the chance to tell you what she meant to me.

I knew Jessica for three years, she was initially referred to me by sponsor Shawn when I got up the courage to meet him for the first time at a Starbucks on S. High Street, just outside of German Village. When I confided to Shawn that day that I was contending with a dual diagnosis of alcoholism and bipolar disorder, he suggested I get in touch with a close friend of his, Jessica, who had the same diagnosis.

That night, I reached out to Jessica and we spent a good hour sharing information about ourselves. I felt an instant connection to her, and it was such a great relief and blessing to be able to talk about the sometimes intense struggles one encounters when trying to manage substance abuse recovery and a mental health condition. I told Jess I had spent years feeling ashamed of my bipolar disorder, and that my active alcoholism only worsened my mental health and hastened my arrival at rock bottom. She responded with some of her own experiences, which comforted me because I knew I was not alone.

Knowing how challenging it is to manage a dual diagnosis, to put it candidly, I was in awe of Jessica. She often talked of experiencing homelessness and for a time losing custody of her children, yet regaining her footing through sobriety and the Steps, sponsorship, and regularly attending both AA and Alanon meetings. Jess navigated dual diagnosis recovery, plus childrearing, plus a challenging job and marriage. That’s a whole heck of a lot. And she gave it her all. 

Jessica was often invited to tell her story at Speaker meetings, where she freely gave the gift of her calming strength to those listening. That was the thing about Jess. When she spoke, you listened. Not everyone can command that kind of attention. I’d like to think of it as a special gift she had, though there was a lot of hard work she put into her AA program that shined through every time she spoke. How many people did she touch? Many.

I would come to find out that Jess offered safe harbor and counsel to many people in our AA community dealing with a dual diagnosis. She was our kindred spirit, she walked in our shoes, she even went out of her way to make referrals for outside help if that was requested. I’m here because of her wisdom and guidance, and my sobriety is stronger because of it. No one can question Jess’ commitment to AA and her AA family. Jess was dedicated. And that’s something all of us should emulate.

The parting words I have for Jess tonight are simple: Rest easy now, dear angel. Your work here is done. We miss you, our friend and confidant. And we are sincerely grateful to have known you for the time we did.