Life as I understand it

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for the cool and unexpected experiences that I've had while praying and as a result of praying

for my AA home group and its spiritual health

that I feel very comfortable sharing many of my more embarrassing experiences with sponsees

that the Houston area finally got some significant rain yesterday. The best rainfall since January. But we're still in a record-setting drought.


Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak;
courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
- Winston Churchill

beginning a new week ...

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for a peaceful and happy weekend, albeit somewhat busy

for everything I have

that I have been able to form some really good habits since I got sober, especially my morning prayer time

for the fellowship I find in recovery. I know I mention this often here, but it's a daily part of my life and it often is the highlight of my day.

Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Step Eleven "Sought through prayer ...

and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out."

It took me a lot of conscious practice just to get in the habit of a nightly prayer. I resisted this for half a century. But once I could do it every night (it took about 2 weeks for the habit to form) it became something I don't feel complete without doing. Learning to pray/meditate in the morning was more difficult. But today, at almost 7 years sober, I have formed the habit of a short prayer within the first few minutes of awakening. I simply ask for guidance in being the best I can be -- for today.

I'm not one to pray multiple times during the day, although yesterday could have used some additional prayer time.


todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I'm open to just about any suggestion

that Regina told her story of experience, strength and hope

that I was able to restart my day several times yesterday. It was just one of those days for me. I have had very, very few of these since I got sober, but there can be exceptions.

for the years I spent living in many countries. I hear so many people who think that the good old USA is the only place on this planet that can do anything right. People I respect, but who are simply ignorant of the richness of the different cultures of this world.


A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken.
- James Dent

Prayer and Meditation

todAAy i AAM grAAteful & thAAnkful


for a good Step Eleven meeting yesterday. "Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out."


People discussed their experience with practicing this step in their own lives. Someone shared how they over-analyzed those words and how they made life more difficult. I like to keep things as simple as possible.

As I practice Step 11, I utilize Bill W's definition of humility (I use this often for many applications). "A clear recognition of what and who we really are, followed by a sincere attempt to become what we could be." Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 58

Connecting those thoughts and concepts means (to me) that I do my best with what I've been given. It means that I should do the next right thing in each and every situation as the day moves forward.

Every morning, I ask for guidance to do these things as I make a conscious contact with my HP.
Not difficult at all. As long as I remember to use these tools.


What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.
- Yiddish proverb

Happy May

Barbie recently turned 50. Our photographers were there.

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that AA is not a cult, but it does allow me to experience a different culture

for the superb Step One meeting we had yesterday -- we read the first chapter in the 12/12 and then discussed it

that I finally realized why it was necessary to confess my faults and make restitution to those I had harmed. At first, I wondered what the hell those things had to do with my drinking. And why would I need to learn to meditate and pray?

that More is Being Revealed, just like y'all said would happen


Miracles sometimes occur, but one has to work terribly hard for them.
-Chaim Weizmann

A matter of convenience

Ya know, I didn't drink and get drunk only when it was convenient ...

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I didn't get sober because it was convenient
that I don't go to AA meetings only when it's convenient
that I didn't work the steps because it was convenient
that I don't pray only when it's convenient
that I don't meet with sponsees only when it's convenient
that I sometimes volunteer to help when it's not convenient
that I don't blog only when it's convenient

I gave my life to be the person I am. Was it worth it?
-Richard Bach

I can bear it

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I didn't drink any alcohol all day yesterday and woke up sober (again) this morning

that prayer is an intricate part of my recovery, every day

that we will read (at the 6:30am AA meeting I attend each day) some pages in The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous this morning and then we'll discuss what we read and how our experiences help us to identify with what we read

that I intend to call my sponsor today, even if just to check in with him

that Hayden, his Mom and I will do some museum hopping today, including going to see Body Worlds II



Mountains cannot be surmounted except by winding paths.
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Schemes & Dreams

WARNING FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS ...

BEWARE OF PAPER ON THE BACK WINDOW OF YOUR VEHICLE--
NEW WAY TO DO CARJACKINGS (NOT A JOKE)

Heads up everyone!


You walk across the parking lot, unlock your car and get inside. You start the engine and shift into reverse.

When you look into the rearview mirror to back out of your parking space, you notice a piece of paper stuck to the middle of the rear window. So, you shift into Park, unlock your doors, and jump out of your car to remove that paper, or whatever it is, that is obstructing your view. When you reach the back of your car, that is when the carjackers appear out of nowhere, jump into your car and take off. They practically mow you down as they speed off in your car.

And guess what, ladies? I bet your purse is still in the car.
So now the carjacker has your car, your home address, your money, and your keys. Your home and your whole identity are now compromised!

BEWARE OF THIS NEW SCHEME THAT IS NOW BEING USED.

If you see a piece of paper stuck to your back window, just drive away. Remove the paper later. A purse contains all kinds of personal information and identification documents, and you
certainly do NOT want this info to fall into the wrong hands.


todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

to be sober and serene, once again

for the power of prayer, even though I am not at all religous

that I sleep so much better as a sober person and my dreams are almost always good ones

that every day I remain sober is one less day of humiliating myself

that Hayden returns today after being out of the country for the past 7 weeks


The more a man knows, the more he forgives.
-Confucius

no quick fix

Two fishermen were in a boat by the lake, when one of them stood to catch a fish in a net. As he scooped up the carp, his wallet fell out of his back pocket. As the seemingly doomed billfold started to sink to the lake bottom, the carp slipped out of the net and swam after it, re-emerging with it on his nose.
However, instead of returning it, he tossed it to one of his fish buddies, who balanced it on his nose. More and more fish-buddies emerged from the water, and all of them played this strange game of keep-away with the man’s billfold.
The first man watched, slackjawed. He said to the other “Have you ever seen anything like this before?”
The second man answered “Sure I have. Haven’t you heard of carp-to-carp walleting?”


todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for Step 12 and the infinite number of ways to give back to this program

for a clever concept that is new to me -- when I pray to my HP, I am NOT reminding him/her/it of the things I want done or people I want helped. I am reminding myself.

that the next right thing just sorta happens these days with little thought on my part

that I play by the rules

that I am one lucky SOB


Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway.
-Harper Lee

good view

the view from my seat at Minute Maid Park;
I get to sit here for 27 games this season


todAAy i Am grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I said a short prayer this morning, asking my HP to guide me throughout this day so that I can be the best person I can possibly be -- for today

that I ask for that guidance every morning

for lessons from other recovering drunks;

friends who suffer losses of friends and family have shown me how to handle that situation when it happens

that my sponsee chaired a wonderful meeting at noon yesterday, attended by someone at their first ever AA meeting

that my sponsor dropped by to see my new home-under-construction

Getting to know someone is not a task--it’s an art.
-Pierce LeBlanc

Peace & Quiet

WARNING: you may find some of the language on this video offensive familiar

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for a very peaceful day yesterday; I needed one

that I can sit quietly in an AA meeting and find serenity even when the people talking may have none

for the role in my life that moments of prayer have become

for the days that I don't beat myself over the head every time I make a mistake; this has always been one of my favorite destructive hobbies

for lots of progress on the home front (relationship stuff, ya know)

that Castro finally resigned his office

Beware the barrenness of a busy life.
-Socrates

Remaining vigilant

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I'm no longer a freak; just kinda weird

that it's been awhile since I have made an excuse not to do something because I knew I'd be too inebriated to accomplish a task

that I thanked my HP last night for many things, just before drifting off to sleep.
I do this every night.

that it's quite easy to stay sober when I stay in the middle of the program

that I can easily and happily be supportive of my Mom, whenever she needs me

that I rarely feel as old as I am becoming; I'm 53, which is no longer middle-aged unless I plan on living to be 106

The more a man knows, the more he forgives.
-Confucius

Success, Sponsors & Serenity

SUCCESS
"The real measure of your wealth is how much you'd be worth if you lost all your money."
-- Bernard Meltzer

"The most absurd and reckless aspirations have sometimes led to extraordinary success."
-- Vauvenargues

"Success is living up to your potential. That’s all. Wake up with a smile and go after life & Live it, enjoy it, taste it, smell it, feel it."
– Joe Kapp

"Personal satisfaction is the most important ingredient of success."
-- Denis Waitley

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that today I will do my best to do my best; when I fail, I don't have to be my worst

for prayer when I wake up and prayer when I go to bed and for prayer at anytime in between

that I had a really nice breakfast and chat with my sponsor yesterday

that of about 40 people at the noon meeting yesterday, I did not know 8 of them

that I continue to wander around my Serenity Zone all day, every day

that I was built in America

for IMAGINATION (click on the word)



HOW MEN THINK...
A woman was in a coma, she had been in it for months. Nurses were in her room giving her a blanket bath. One of them was washing her private area and noticed that there was a slight response on the monitor when she touched her. They tried it again and sure enough there was a small, recognizable movement. They went to her husband and explained what happened, telling him, "As crazy asthis sounds, maybe a little oral sex will do the trick and bring her out of the coma." The husband was skeptical, but they assured that they'd close the curtains for privacy. The husband finally agreed and went into his wife's room. After a few minutes the woman's monitor flat lined, no pulse, no heart rate. The nurses run back into the room. "What happened!?" they cried.
The husband said, "I'm not sure, maybe she choked".

Yall have a GREAT weekend!!