Learning

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
for the courage to change the things I can
for the wisdom to know the difference

the little prayer above is very helpful to me in finding the ability to let go of "stuff"

for the people who return to the rooms of A.A. after conducting more research;
they provide some of the best lessons I can hear and see

that I'm able to help others, even if in very small ways;
sometimes an listening ear, sometimes a ride, sometimes by sharing my experience


You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and with the best that you have to give.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Just trying to stay warm

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that the consequences of sobriety seem to be much better than the consequences of continuing to drink

that today, I plan to stay sober to oblivion

for an easier, softer way

for my particular committments to service work, without which I'd either be sitting at home doing very little or sitting in a bar doing way too much


There is no passion to be found playing small -
in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.
- Nelson Mandela

A happy Friday to you!

todAAy i AAM grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I have been so busy lately; it's been a huge help in keeping me from swimming around inside of my head and maybe drowning!

that I had an appointment with my psychiatrist yesterday and she confirmed a lot of things for me; she stopped a bit short of telling me I'm not crazy as a loon, but she did say my thinking was pretty damn right-on. Whew!

for faith that my life will unfold in front of me in ways I probably can't imagine; that has been true for these first 56 years

that I'm still passionate about service work


My Mama always said you've got to put the past behind you before you can move on.
- the movie Forrest Gump

I'm sure glad I no longer get drunk

A New York man is being sued for apparently losing a £900,000 ($1.6m) painting after a drinking session.

James Haggerty says he lost the Jean Baptiste Camille Corot masterpiece, Portrait of a Girl, after a bender at The Mark hotel in Manhattan, according to court papers.
"I think he's a complete fumbling idiot," Kristyn Trudgeon, who co-owns the painting, told the New York Daily News. "He's just a complete a**hole."
Ms Trudgeon and Tom Doyle, the other co-owner of the painting, had hired Mr Haggerty to assist with a possible sale of the painting to London gallery owner Offer Waterman.
Mr Haggerty was ordered to take the painting to The Mark, where Mr Waterman was staying, so he could see it at first hand.
Ms Trudgeon's lawsuit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, says hotel security footage shows Mr Haggerty leaving the painting at the front desk and entering the bar with Mr Waterman at 11pm.
At 11:30pm, the two men left the bar, retrieved the painting and had a conversation in the hotel lobby, court papers say.
"Something just didn't feel right and I didn't want to be involved," Mr Waterman said. "So I said no, and I said goodbye."
Mr Haggerty then went back to the hotel bar, once more depositing the painting at the front desk.
He resurfaced 90 minutes later, the suit says, when he stumbled out with the painting and declined a doorman's offer to call him a taxi.
At 2:30am, he finally returned home, without the painting. Later that morning, he apparently told Mr Doyle he couldn't recall its whereabouts.


todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for my constant and consistent connections to the program of Alcoholics Anonymous; these have flourished through fellowship and service work

that my sponsor taught me the importance of being of service to others

for an improved ability to let go of those things I can't control; it begins with awareness!

for good weather here; my thoughts and good wishes are for all of you who may be affected by Hurricane Earl

He who rejects change is the architect of decay.
- Harold Wilson

just between you and me ...

Gary passed along this award to me and a few others. I'm supposed to list 7 facts about myself. Actually, I have a list of 100 things about myself, linked on my sidebar. Check it out when you have time.


todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful


that I had a spiritual awakening just when I needed it; I didn't even think they existed

for new habits

that I rarely need to look for loopholes

that I enjoy being of service in a variety of ways. For decades (before I was sober), my mother suggested and encouraged me to do volunteer work. I always declined under the pretense that I didn't have the time or desire. My, how times have changed!


Each day we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.
- Charles Swindoll

Welcome to Friday

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I was asked to help a friend through the AA steps; this will be good for both of us

for a reminder from Mary Christine of how much I always felt at home whenever and wherever I walked into a bar.
And I've been in thousands of them.

that I've studied the AA traditions with my sponsor and in meetings as well. Knowledge of how the traditions came to be what they are today is pretty good AA history, for those who are interested. This is for sure though; without those traditions in place, Alcoholics Anonymous would not exist.
We would have imploded decades ago.

that I still take interest in Lambda Center fundraising and service work in general


Experience is not what happens to a man.
It is what a man does with what happens to him.
- Aldous Huxley

I may not be Smart, but I'm alive

Below is a photo of a wreck in Jefferson Parish, LA (near New Orleans ) between two trucks and a Smart Car. Think I'll pass on the Smart Car.
I wonder if there were any injuries.....

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for this bit written by Syd yesterday - "My contentment stems from an understanding that perfectionism sets me at a distance from others. And that distance enhances my feelings of being different which leads down a treacherous path. As Mark Nepo writes: 'The devastating truth is that excellence can't hold you in the night, and .......being demanding or sophisticated won't help you survive.' "
(and yes, I received his permission to reprint this)

for the positive feeback I get when I do things for somebody (besides me)

that I enjoy the Al-Anon meetings I am attending each week

for the good times I had for many years with my friend Johnny Brown, who died on Tuesday of a heart attack. Johnny was a normal drinker, but could put 'em down with the best of us. Johnny was active for 40 years in Houston Rugby, most recently as coach of the St Thomas High School Rugby team.. He was a gentleman who was totally unselfish and a great cook. He'll be missed by the countless peoples whose lives he touched.

that those 2 women were released form North Korea. To put it in perspective though, it was barely reported that they were sent there by Al Gore and then Bill Clinton had to help them get free. I think it sets a very nasty precedent for future "kidnappings" by those states that don't like this country or feel they can benefit from such media coverage.
Sorry, I know this may not have much to do with recovery, but I just had to get that out.


One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.
- Sigmund Freud

a good day was had

another farewell to MJ ...




todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful that

that I am not worrying about what time I'll start getting drunk today

that I spent most of yesterday doing service work; in other words, staying out of my own head, which is just what the doctor ordered

for the early members of Alcoholics Anonymous and the trials and errors they endured

that things seem to be going pretty good in my life. I wonder what I'm overlooking.


If you are losing a tug-of-war with a tiger, give him the rope before he gets to your arm. You can always buy a new rope.
- Max Gunther

Daily maintenance

"Meet me on the balcony."



"Which one?"







todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I'm alcohol-free and nicotine-free today -- again!

for an afternoon spent helping a new friend in recovery find a place to live

that I no longer have to look elsewhere for my happiness (this is HUGE for me)

that I seem to have surrounded myself with so many wonderful and practical examples of effective recovery; all I have to do to learn is to keep my eyes and ears open


There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come.
-Victor Hugo

italics & parentheses

todAAy i AAM grAAteful & thAAnkful

for Step 6 and the awareness it gives me (when I think about it)

for so many opportunities to help others (almost always in little ways, but it's enough to make a difference to them and me)

that I enjoy doing the things that are necessary for me to take care of myself (except eating the proper diet)

Scott W emailed this video clip from Britain's Got Talent (the UK version of American Idol). It's 7 minutes long but well worth watching.


Many of our fears are tissue-paper-thin, and a single courageous step would carry us clear through them.
-Brendan Francis

Paying attention

This table was for sale on eBay.
It's being sold by a man. How do I know it's being sold by a man?

Someone will get the answer and comment on it. If you can't figure it out, keep checking back on the comments.



todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I probably have a little more clarity of thought today than I did yesterday because I have one more day of staying sober

to hear David D. tell a small part of his story yesterday; it was mostly about the importance of the AA steps in his life

for service work in its infinite forms

for the incredibly great weather we're experiencing -- the temp range yesterday was 46 - 83 but I don't believe I saw a cloud at all

for early breakfast yesterday with Hayden and Kimberley


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

Trying to figure it all out

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that Step 4 has really been in my face lately (and that's a good thing)

that I turn my phone OFF or on SILENCE and keep it in my pocket for a full hour during meetings. I am really tired of watching people texting during AA meetings. For all future meetings that I lead as chairperson, I shall ask that everyone refrain from using their phone completely for an hour.

that experience can be a great teacher for those willing to learn

that Hayden and I are able to help someone who's ill and has no family and few friends


The opposite of love is not hate but indifference.
-Elie Wiesel

the letter

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for the 6:30am Eyes Wide Shut AA meeting I attend every Mon-Fri

that some of my service work today will be answering a letter to serve on jury duty

that I got to listen to Dianna M relate her story of alcoholism at a Saturday night meeting

for the every Saturday dinner with Zane M and whoever else may join us

that I got some nice and peaceful yard work done yesterday

Challenge is a dragon with a gift in its mouth... Tame the dragon and the gift is yours.
-Noela Evans

Monday morning

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for a really nice and peaceful (serene) weekend, filled with recovery stuff

that I got to hear Patrick S. tell what it was like, what happened and what it's like now

that I participated in the Lambda Mardi Gras Parade -- 100+ sober alcoholics having fun -- ie: dressing up in various outrageous costumes, throwing beads, screaming and laughing

for the tireless service work by people with long-term sobriety which is always a great example for me to follow (and others too, hopefully)

check THIS little bit of information about Facebook


There must be more to life than having everything.
-Maurice Sendak

Guides along the way

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for the Principles behind the Steps;

• honesty


• hope


• faith


• courage


• integrity


• willingness


• humility


• compassion


• discipline


• perseverance


• spirituality


• service

the my perceptions oftentimes have nothing to do with reality

that we'll read another of the stories in the back half of The Big Book this morning at the 6:30am meeting

for the financial ability to pay my bills

Elbow grease is the best polish.
-English Proverb

squarely in the middle

This is the first of many pictures I'll be posting of our new home. I am hoping it will be completed by late May.


todAAy i Am grAAteful & thAAnkful

for the concepts of Honesty, Open-Mindedness and Willingness

that I do my best to stay centered

for those times when I physically feel in a fit spiritual condition

to the people in recovery who go out of their way to get involved in extracirricular service activities

for the occasional use of common sense in all most of my affairs

that "it's a dog eat dog world, and I'm not wearing any underwear." a line from Blanche on The Golden Girls

If there is any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow human being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.
-William Penn

to those in service ...

How to say Thank You.
CLICK HERE


todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that the greater my acceptance, the greater my power (it seems)

that I have the honor of chairing the 12:15pm meeting every Thursday this month

for all those people in recovery who perform service in an infinite number of ways

that the most glaring of my character defects seem to be taking a back seat to being happy, joyous and free

that life seems pretty easy these days

that Zane has re-started his blog -- ZaneJabbers
check it out


If you really do put a small value upon yourself, rest assured that the world will not raise your price.
-Anonymous

BONUS QUOTE ...

A man can get discouraged many times but he is not a failure until he begins to blame somebody else and stops trying."
-- John Burroughs

Progress

The photo theme this week will be
PENCILS.
CLICK on PIC TO SEE DETAIL



todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for all of the volunteers who helped at Lambda Center to make nearly $500 washing cars Saturday morning in the cold and rain-threatening weather

for a great AA meeting about Contempt Prior to Investigation

that I am only now beginning to learn how to deal with some of the unfamiliar feelings that I've been experiencing the past few months

that today is Kenny's - RECOVERY ROAD - 3rd AA Birthday !!!
Kenny began his blog about the same time as Scott and I in late 2004. I have been honored to read his writings almost daily since then. I have always enjoyed the things he tells us, in part because I lived in London in my former life and often relate to geographic areas to which he refers. But mainly I read Kenny because of his honesty andinsight into this deadly disease. He searches and finds solutions to living life on a daily, without resorting to what alcoholics are so damn good at -- drinking.

that a friend sent me this ...

"What is the difference between making a decision to quit (which you may have already done) and making a COMMITMENT?
A COMMITMENT is an UNYIELDING Decision, AIRTIGHT, IRONCLAD and ROCK SOLID.

We look forward to the time when the Power of Love will replace the Love of Power. Then will our world know the blessings of peace.
-William Gladstone

Doing things

What's wrong with this picture?

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that yesterday in our 6:30am meeting, we read TIGHTROPE, the story of a gay alcoholic (ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, 4th edition, page 359) ... check it out

that taking action produces results;
right action = good results
wrong action = bad results
I think I have also heard these referred to as consequences.

that I can do a little bit after 9am to help another person; during my last 10 years of drinking, that would have been out of the question

that The Astros actually won 2 games in-a-row

The secret of getting ahead is getting started.
-Sally Berger