The life.

There. It's fixed.

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for The Doctor's Opinion in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. Someone pointed out how important it is that it's at the beginning of the book instead of at the end. We continue into the book knowing that alcoholism is considered a disease. Very important.


that I got to have a nice conversation with a recovery friend who is moving to California this weekend. Five of my friends have moved there in the past few months. I'm staying in Houston, thank you.

for love and tolerance; a fine code to have!

to those who give tirelessly to organizations, not just recovery. I always avoided giving my time until I stopped drinking. Now, I have many examples and teachers.


Resistance creates suffering. Stress happens when your mind resists what is... The only problem in your life is your mind's resistance to life as it unfolds.
- Dan Millman

doin' the deal

todAAy i AAM grAAteful & thAAnkful

for humor in recovery. I got to hear one of my favorite speakers yesterday at a speaker meeting. He is entertaining and informative. His story is not much different than mine or yours but he tells it in a way that makes me want to hear more.

that since my mother died in 2008, my partner is the only person who knows where my buttons are. And he pushes them often.

that this blog is my first attempt at service work on most days

for all of you who continue to do whatever it takes

You're standing on the threshold of success. Don't look down, it'll make you dizzy.
- Timothy Q. Mouse in the Walt Disney movie Dumbo

Keep the Faith

CLICK ON THE PIC TO ENLARGE



todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for perspective to see that things happen the way they do - for a reason. I rarely see those reasons until much later. Thus, I must always keep the faith that everything will work out just the way it should.

for the time I get to spend working with other alkies

that yesterday, I celebrated 4 consecutive years of NO SMOKING!

for the past 10 days of beautiful weather here in SE Texas

A coincidence is a small miracle in which God chooses to remain anonymous.
- Anonymous

Service

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that we had a tremendous Tradition Five meeting yesterday morning. It was all about our primary purpose.

that I was able to put aside my selfish instinct to say NO! and accept another sponsee

for so many ways to be of service to others

for THIS link to some recovery sloganz

that I'm gonna have a great Friday, if I choose to


Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.
- C.S. Lewis

one-oh-one-one-oh

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that today is Friday

for a day spent listening to other alcoholics and practicing my compassion

that I get to go to my 3 recovery meetings today

that if I ever get burned out on being sober, happy, joyous and free, I can always go back to being absolutely miserable

that I didn't freak out when my gym went out of business last Friday. I found another one on Saturday and joined it.


It is easier to prevent bad habits than to break them.
- Benjamin Franklin

a peaceful journey

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for consecutive days of serenity

that my serenity comes second, just behind my sobriety

to see examples of guys and gals who do the right thing - they are some of my greatest teachers and they never know it

for opportunities to be of service

As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

Now hear this!

The Passive Cat




todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful


that I'm willing to listen to just about any point of view

that I can be of service just by listening

that I'm not deaf

that I'm not unique nor special -- that would be some unnecessary pressure on me

It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.
- Mark Twain

Now you see it ...

rust. under the black vinyl top.



todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful


that I learned another good lesson yesterday. I had to humble myself and become honest. During a meeting in which the topic was honesty, I realized I was being less than honest in the description of the car I'm selling on eBay. It has a rust issue but I had purposely neglected to mention that. Obviously, the rust may well affect the value of the car as I try to sell it.
I admitted that I would want this information if I were buying the car and would feel cheated if the seller did not mention it. So, I had to come clean and when I got home, I amended the vehicle description, both in words and pictures.

that sometimes it's really tough to practice these principles in all my affairs, but it's worth it because I keep a clean mind

that I'm able to help others, even when I don't feel like it

The only difference between stumbling blocks and steppingstones is the way in which we use them.
- Unknown

Step Twelve "Having had a spiritual awakening ...

as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs."

I had a spiritual awakening as the result of the first 3 steps AND because I had no where else to turn AND because I had become honest, open-minded and willing to change. Ever so slowly.

Service. Carry the message. So many ways. An infinite number of ways to carry the message. From attending meetings, being a sponsee and sponsor, chairing meetings, preparing rooms for AA meetings and cleaning them, joining in the fellowship before and after meetings, making phone calls. To name just a few.

Practice these principles. Whew! What an order! Learning how to live sober (and in recovery) every minute of every day will take a lifetime. Life is dynamic. Things change, often daily. Responding and reacting to life as it happens in a spiritual manner has become my goal.

Soon, I'll write a little bit on the principles (as I understand them).
This stuff -- recovery -- never stops. I hope.
Thank God.


today i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I act as a sort of backup chairperson if/when the regular chair doesn't show up at the 6:30am meeting. This happens a lot.

that I hand out business cards (made especially for AA meetings) to newcomers. My card has my photo on it so that person can put a face to the name. I like this.

that I know how important it is for me to stay in the center of my program. If I were to ride on the edge, the centrifugal force would toss me out.


Often the difference between a successful marriage and a mediocre one consists of leaving about three or four things a day unsaid.
- Harlan Miller

being there

I thought I'd share a few more pictures of the car and boat show from the weekend.

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for the accountability I gain from having an AA sponsor and from working Step 10

that I can be helpful even when I don't really try; many times, just showing up is all it takes

that I'm a bit less sensitive than I used to be; at least I don't seem to overreact like the old days


If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.
- Booker T. Washington

Doing what doesn't come naturally

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for another full day yesterday - there seems to be a trend lately

for Tradition Four - "Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole." It explains how we are largely a band of ego-driven individualists and children of chaos. Somehow, A.A. has survived us.

I also like the section that introduces the concept of not taking myself too seriously. This has played a big part in my recovery, as I have explained here before.

that I joined a couple of other guys and visited a mutual recovery friend in the hospital last night. This is something I have rarely done. Very rarely. But I felt the need to be of service and the opportunity presented itself.


What we must decide is how we are valuable rather than how valuable we are.
- Edgar Z. Friedenberg

Welcome to Thursday at Higher Powered

click on the picture if you need to see it bigger


todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful


that I've stayed relatively sane this week even though my service to others has been somewhat lacking; in other words, it'a been all about me!

to see some friends who have recently relapsed return to the rooms of AA; I consider them lucky, blessed or whatever you wanna call it

that I don't know what I don't know -- someday, maybe I'll find out, but I'm not sure if I'll know when I do

for Hayden

for reruns of the old Carol Burnett Show -- I wonder why variety shows don't work anymore


Winning doesn't always mean being first.
- Bonnie Blair

don't do drunk

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I don't do drunk anymore

that I use the concepts and principle (faith) behind Step 3 throughout the day, every day ...
"Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him."

when I practice Step 3 as I should, my life is easier and more serene

that I not only enjoy participating in service to others but I also understand its significance to my recovery

that I had the opportunity to know Patrick Swayze before he was famous. We went to high school together (he was a year ahead of me, of course)

All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

well-balanced?

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for the summary of the Twelve Steps found on pages 107-109 of TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS.

that I can be of help without even trying

that I have to be on constant guard to be weary of my instincts and motives

that I'm becoming less and less likely to get involved in your insanity

that I try to make my life balanced by diversifying my interests and activities

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.
- Epictetus

just typing thru

• 
  an oldie but a goodie (IMHO)
  
  Sally was driving home from one of her business trips in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road.
  
  As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride.
  
  With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car.
  
  Resuming the journey, Sally tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with the Navajo woman. The old woman just sat silently, looking intently at everything she saw, studying every little detail, until she noticed a brown bag on the seat next to
  Sally.
  
  'What in bag?' asked the old woman.
  
  Sally looked down at the brown bag and said, 'It's a bottle of wine. I got it for my husband.'
  
  The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two. Then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said:
  
  'Good trade.....'
  
  
  todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful
  
  for in-depth conversations with sponsees
  
  that I know my limitations, although I don't always remember them
  
  that Step 10 helps me to practice these principles in all my affairs ...
  
• honesty
• hope
• faith
• courage
• integrity
• willingness
• humility
• compassion
• discipline
• perseverance
• awareness of my HP
• service
  
  First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
  - Mahatma Gandhi

I am learning

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for a very powerful noon meeting yesterday -- a good friend lost him Mom after her long battle with Alzheimer's; he shared about his loss which prompted many shares about those who are at various stages of losing a parent to illness, so the meeting was essentially about grief and how to handle it

that we will see how our experience will benefit others

that I can often be of help to others just by being present

that I actually remembered to do the next right thing that I'd rather be happy than right and avoided a big argument difference of opinion


It's never crowded along the extra mile.
-Wayne Dyer

Serenity & Potpourri

I will be out of town and away from any computer until the weekend. Enjoy yourselves and please stay sober.
I will.


todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

I'm finally 53 years old; I thought it would never get here. LOL

for all of the sweet notices and comments about my birthday 2 days ago

for the colorful taste of my alcoholism medication --
it tastes like RECOVERY, UNITY & SERVICE

for some really good chance(s) to put PAUSE WHEN AGITATED into action

for absolutely gorgeous weather over the weekend and the volleyball tournament I had the opportunity to attend at Memorial Park and the softball games of The Montrose Softball League

that Matt celebrated his One Year of Sobriety yesterday --
Way to go, Matt!!

for a little Hazelden book I bought to read on the flights this week - WALK IN DRY PLACES - a book written to address the concerns of the "established" recovering person

for the AA (Big Book) quiz on SOBRIETY SOCIETY; drop by and see how much you know

"Evaluation of the past is the first step toward vision for the future."
-- Chris Widener