For years I had not set up a voicemail on my phone. It just did not seem worth the time or energy. Out of a sense of ignorance, I was not thinking of anyone else’s convenience. I suppose I figured I wasn’t worth leaving a voicemail for anyway. However, at the urging of my sponsor I went ahead and activated my voicemail. He explained that other fellows may wish to reach out to me when they are facing difficulties with lust, or simply to connect. When it was stated in terms of helping fellow SA members, I didn’t hesitate to follow through.

When going through the motions of setting up my voicemail one day in late September 2019, I discovered that it was already set up by default and that my voicemail inbox had actually been full for 4 years. I simply never knew how to access or delete the messages. Out of curiosity, I listened closely to each message. The first was a customer service representative telling me a package was ready for pick-up. The second was a reminder to renew my apartment insurance. The third message, sent on September 24, 2015 (my 25th birthday), was a gift from God. A familiar, kind and loving voice I had come to miss filled the speaker of my phone. It was my Grandma (now deceased) wishing me a happy birthday. While it was a lovely message to receive, the true blessing was hearing my Grandmother’s voice one last time! As tears filled my eyes, I reminisced about her life and the joyful memories I had with her. The irony of me hearing this voicemail approximately one week before my 29th birthday was not lost on me. I also refuse to believe that this moment was mere coincidence. Rather, I believe that I was meant to hear this message only after I entered recovery. If it weren’t for my sponsor and me taking the right actions, I never would have been rewarded with this gift from God.