This is a story about two miracles. The first miracle happened to a basketball team—the University of Kansas Jayhawks—who to this day have no awareness of the second miracle or of the person who experienced it. That person was a drunk, and that person was me.

 

In 1988, I was beginning to hit the bottom of my drinking career. With only a part-time job, I was surviving life by nursing my inebriation to stay in a constant buzz. I had crawled to the bottom of the barrel and felt there was absolutely no solution for life. The previous year, I had ended a 10-year relationship that left me spinning out of control. Then I accepted a new job as a chief executive officer and moved to Kansas City. Because of a disagreement with my board of directors, I quit in anger, arrogant in my belief that I would be snatched up by another organization.

 

Life proved me wrong, and I remained unsuccessful in my search for permanent work. Soon I was ruined financially and unable to pay my rent or any of my bills. … My one and only remaining asset was the season ticket I held to the Jayhawks home basketball games. Even though they were not ranked in the nation, they were still a formidable team to meet on their home court.

 

Kansas lost three games at home that season, and I was there to witness them … Needless to say, these three losses didn't help my disposition and gave me yet another reason to drink.

 

Then the final straw came. I was cited for driving under the influence, which was going to cost me a thousand dollars in fees and fines. I was so angry with God because, I reasoned, who else had the power to bring me so low in life? I raised my fist to the heavens and told God off in no uncertain terms.

 

In a melodramatic fashion, I began to make plans to end my life by hanging myself from the tall cottonwood tree down the hill from my house. I chose Easter Sunday because my death would also serve as good revenge on God, on whom I laid direct blame for the misery of my life.

 

Little did I know, a miracle was taking form. The KU Jayhawks went to the NCAA basketball tournament despite being unranked and having lost 11 games that season. Even though I was planning to end my life, I still watched or listened to every game. The weekend before I was going to kill myself, KU beat Kansas State 71 to 58 in the regional tournament. They advanced to play Duke, who was ranked fifth nationally, in the Final Four the following Saturday. Oklahoma, ranked number one, would be there, too, to play Arizona.

 

The winners of these two games would meet the following Monday night to play for the national championship. I was planning to hang myself on Easter Sunday before the championship game; however, on Saturday the Jayhawks beat Duke 66 to 59. It was unbelievable! Then Oklahoma beat Arizona, which meant they would be the opponents for Kansas in the championship game on Monday.

 

I was in a quandary about what to do. I truly believed I wanted to die. It was futile for me to hope KU would beat the Sooners, who were an excellent team, but some faint hope led me to cancel my plans.

 

In probably one of the most exciting 20 minutes of Final Four history, the score at halftime was tied at 50. The Jayhawks held the Sooners to only 29 points in the second half. The final score: Kansas 83, Oklahoma 79! …

 

My jubilation with the Jayhawk victory was incredible. So much so that it lifted my spirits enough to postpone plans for my self-destruction, and a few weeks later, I entered a program that enabled me to quit drinking. …

 

Today, through prayer and meditation, I continue to develop my consciousness of my oneness with God. Having had this spiritual awakening, I continue to practice spiritual principles in my activities each day. I no longer am lonely or feel unloved, and over the years I have built a new life that relies only on the God of my understanding …

 

I truly believe we are all divinely connected to one another, and many times without any awareness on our part, we create miracles in the lives of others. I am living proof.

 

This article first appeared in a free booklet from Unity. New booklets are available several times a year. For a current list of free literature from Unity,

click here.

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