Saying goodbye to our beloved Al Gabrielski

COVID -19 is a despicable thief!

We all have watched in disbelief as this murderous virus slithers through this country over the past year. Leaving a wake of loss, pain, destruction and mourning.  Many of us have suffer the mental and emotional effects of the Quarantine, the Lock Downs, the new normal manifesting in front of us.  We lean on the people in our lives to guide us and support us and just walk next to us while we are figuring it out. Knowing that with our loved ones by our side, we would in fact, figure it out. We would get used to the changes, the restrictions, all of it, as long as you have those people near you.

That is exactly how our beloved Al G and Celeste Gabrielski felt. They were together, they could handle anything that came their way. Al G could make anyone feel grounded no matter what was afoot. If you had ever met Al G, it’s guaranteed you were touched by his specialness, even after just meeting him, you became an instant friend, and you knew it.

If you came to Al G because you were struggling with anything, he would have this magical way of suspending time, creating a place where the truth was welcomed and never felt like an attack, where vulnerability was celebrated and ultimately a simple, clear and obvious solution was stated and suddenly time started again and the struggle no longer existed. We ALL have our stories of how Al G touched us and in many many cases, changed our lives.

Al G had an incredible story, he lived a life of self destruction for many years as an active alcoholic until one day in March 1983. God saved this man. God made the impossible possible. Al G got sober and stayed sober. It was clear that he had a purpose on this Earth. For almost 40 years, Al G had been a participating member of Alcoholics Anonymous. It may never be known how many lives he saved, let alone how many lives he change for the better. Mine included.

This man is a person who is incredibly patient, ever present, God driven, a tangible example of what sobriety and the power of AA can do in the life of a hopeless alcoholic. When entering a meeting, and you asked Al “How ya doing ”  It was guaranteed that you would hear: “It’s great to be alive".  He was truly the epitome of gratitude, a living example.  Leaving a meeting, you could always count on hearing at least one of his favorite slogans;
“just do today”
“one day at a time”
“Don't drink. go to meetings”. 

It is just impossible to imagine that just 12 days before our Al G closed his eyes for the last time, he was at home with his amazing wife, living his best life then suddenly, he was fighting FOR his life. Fighting because his lungs no longer worked on their own and other critical functions of his body needed machines because they couldn’t work on their own either.

As the hours go by, the reality of his life being taken by this virus starts to sink in, my heart breaks more and more. It brakes for all of us who loved him, for his beautiful wife who he loved so much and for all the people who will never have the privilege of meeting and knowing him. He was a courageously loving man, husband, son, father (by marriage but a Dad by choice) and for many of us, a cherished friend. 

The reality of his wife being robbed of the right to be by his side everyday, the right a wife has to tell him herself that she loves him, the right she has to look at his face for the last time, knowing she was robbed of these critical moments is crushing and torturous to think about. She is absolutely one of the strongest women I have ever known, but in a time of tremendous loss, she shouldn’t have to have suffered those stolen moments on top of losing her best friend and her loving husband.

I personally am so sad to have lost my friend. I am so sad for all of us whose lives have been made immeasurably better for having had him in them.  We are all struggling to make sense out of the sudden, totally unfair and tragic death of one of the greatest men I have ever known.

Celeste hangs up the phone from the the most devastating call of her life and when her breathing finally steadied, she had a fleeting thought: I have absolutely no access to any of his personal “stuff”. I can’t access his accounts, pay his bills, see what needs to be paid, nothing. How am I going to keep our world afloat without him?  How am I going to live without him. How do I do this?  Where do I even start?  How do I continue helping and supporting all of the people that he helped everyday?

When I heard my dear friend share these torturous moments and thoughts with me, my “inner Al G” knew I needed to step in and help her bridge at least one of the gaping holes in her unwanted and unasked for new life. 

This gofundme is to help Al G’s wife, daughter, unborn (1st) grandchild and family take care of all the medical bills, the death expenses, the unexpected expenses, the future memorial service (that we all will need when we can safely get together).  Any money donated that exceed these necessities will be used to continue the amazing work that Al G has been doing for almost 4 decades. Making sure that the hand of AA is ALWAYS there.

Whether you donate or not-
Please take the time to share your Al G stories in the comments. You know Al would want us to share the good knowing it helps ease the burden we bear. It is comforting to hear how you and your life were touched by Al G or your favorite memory of him. We may not be able to mourn together physically but that shouldn’t stop us from sharing in the love we have for “our” Al G. 

Now, we would like to ask you to join us in saying the Serenity Prayer:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.