Detail

In progress detail of the large piece in works.

03.31.09

I need protection against the arrogant, willful delusion that "This time I will be able to handle it; this time I will get away with cheating just a little bit." How can I protect myself? Step One says that we are powerless ... From sad experience, I know this to be a fact. Step Two says that we "Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity." My protection comes from this Higher Power. ~Food for Thought

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Today I am grateful...

• that yesterday I started on a more normal eating plan--not quite so restrictive
• that I stopped in yesterday just as the meeting was ending for some fellowship, and I got it
• that today I do not have to convince you my life is good in an effort to convince myself
• for the courage to change the things I can
• for resisted temptations

Life takes on new meaning in A.A. To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends--this is an experience not to be missed. ~p. 89

My First Car

1968 Lime Gold Mustang Coupe

It's Spring!

03.30.09

We all carry it within us: supreme strength, the fullness of wisdom, unquenchable joy. It is never thwarted and cannot be destroyed. But it is hidden deep, which is what makes life a problem. ~Huston Smith

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Today I am grateful...

• for the joy of watching Bunny observe the world outside the front door. The profile of his short little nose as it sniffs, the way his ears point forward. The way he cuts his eyes when I "Pssst" at him. Delightful.
• for the progression this weekend on the giant painting
• that this discomfort of ending my current eating play (first phase) will pass. In the meantime, today, I am not feeling well.
• for the past beautiful Spring weekend where the weather was splendid
• that my Higher Power didn't give up when I was nothing but a dirty dish rag soaked in tequila

Be calm, be true, and be quiet. Do not get emotionally upset by anything that happens around you. Feel a deep, inner security in the goodness and purpose in the universe. Be true to your highest ideals. Do not let yourself slip back into the old ways of reacting. Stick to your spiritual guns. Be calm always. Do not talk back or defend yourself too much against accusation, whether false or true. Accept criticism as well as you accept praise. ~24 Hours a Day

03.29.09

To get the spiritual strength I need, my inner life must be lived apart from the world. I must wear the world as a loose garment. ~24 Hours a Day

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Today I am grateful...

• for the simplest prayer--thank you
• that this morning the pleurisy-type discomfort I felt all day yesterday seems to have abated
• for quiet moments that truly make me feel free from desperation
• that I may wander through this world today feeling safe and secure
• to realized that some of my demons are just resting, waiting for another chance, and that I have to be vigilant and do my work

God, help me be so clear on who I am that I can generously afford to let other people be who they are, too. Help me to set aside my defensive behavior, and teach me to blend with other people and see their point of view while not relinquishing my own.--Melody Beattie

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If you learn from your suffering, and really come to understand the lesson you were taught, you might be able to help someone else who's now in the phase you may have just completed. Maybe that's what it's all about after all . . .--Anonymous

Obelisk at Karnak

03.28.09

I craved freedom. First, freedom to drink; later, freedom from drink. The A.A. program of recovery rests on a foundation of free choice. There are no mandates, laws or commandments. A.A.'s spiritual program, as outlined in the Twelve Steps, and by which I am offered even greater freedoms, is only suggested. I can take it or leave it. Sponsorship is offered, not forced, and I come and go as I will. It is these and other freedoms that allow me to recapture the dignity that was crushed by the burden of drink, and which is so dearly needed to support an enduring sobriety. ~Daily Reflections

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Today I am grateful...

• that I made it through a case of the 'vapors' at dinner last night
• to have people in my life that 'have my back'
• for the odd coincidence of seeing someone last night whom I had not seen in years--and I had just dreamt about them night before last night
• for the incredible opening of my heart yesterday when I felt such a closeness to my Higher Power--such a bubbling up of love and gratitude. I just dove into it and let it last as long as possible, which was only a few minutes and it was lovely.
• to have what I need this day

You get the power to overcome drinking through the fellowship of other alcoholics who have found the way out. You get power by honestly sharing your past experience by a personal witness. You get power by coming to believe in a Higher Power, the Divine Principle in the universe which can help you. You get power by working with other alcoholics. In these four ways, thousands of alcoholics have found all the power they needed to overcome drinking. ~Twenty-Four Hours a Day

03.27.09

Give as much of yourself as you can to as much of your higher power as you can understand. ~S.H.

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Today I am grateful...

• that the drink I took on my birthday, in a bar at a party for me was just a dream
• that every day I have a constant purpose
• that I have been quick to pray lately
• for the oddness of becoming less sensitive in many parts of my life, and becoming more sensitive in others
• to have a Friday stretching out ahead of me

In the winter of our lives, we become stripped down to our essence like a tree. We may become more radiant than ever at this stage, because our inner light shines brighter through our eyes as time passes. Beauty at this age comes from the very core of our being--our essence. This essence is a reminder that there is nothing to fear in growing older and that there is a kind of beauty that comes only after one has spent many years on earth. ~Daily Om

03.26.09

We are the greatest things that will ever happen to us. Believe it. It makes life much easier. ~Codependent No More

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Today I am grateful...

• that the constant gray fog of my days lived as an active alcoholic are behind me
• for the second promise: We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
• that I finally decided on most of the layout image for my large canvas. I had to force myself to go to bed last night because I wanted to stay up and keep working.
• that I can make my commitments these days
• for continuing to show up for life

It doesn't matter what we've done in our past. We all have a past, woven with mistakes, successes, and learning experiences. We have a right to our past. It is ours. It has worked to shape and form us. As we progress on this journey, we shall see how each of our experiences will be turned around and used for good.We have already spent too much time being ashamed, being apologetic, and doubting the beauty of ourselves. Be done with it. Let it go. It is an unnecessary burden. Others have rights, but so do we. We are neither less than nor more than. We are equal. We are who we are. That is whom we were created and intended to be. ~Accepting Ourselves

03.25.09

Man is supposed to think, and act. He wasn't made to God's image to be an automation. ~As Bill Sees It

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Today I am grateful...

• that there are so many delicious diet sodas on the market now. Have you ever had Fresca Peach? Oh, my!
• that I can allow some things to be just on faith alone
• that So had a red letter day yesterday!
• to remember, as a kid, how much fun it was when I was employed by U.N.C.L.E.!
• that I love me some alcoholics, even when they act up

We cannot fully understand the universe. The simple fact is that we cannot even define space or time, which we have manufactured by our own minds and on that depends all our so-called knowledge of the universe. The simple fact is that we can never know all things, nor are we made to know them. Much of our lives must be taken on faith. ~Twenty-Four Hours a Day

03.24.09

You will not have that for which you ask, nor can you have anything you want. This is because your very request is a statement of lack, and your saying you want a thing only works to produce that precise experience—wanting—in your reality.

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The correct prayer is therefore never a prayer of supplication, but a prayer of gratitude.
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When you ask God in advance for that which you choose to experience in your reality, you, in effect, acknowledge that it is there…in effect. Thankfulness is thus the most powerful statement to God; an affirmation that even before you ask, I have answered.

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Therefore never supplicate. Appreciate. ~page 11, Conversations with God

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Today I am grateful...

• that the above quote changed my life. I realized one day that I have been cared for and given all the provisions every day for 54+ years. I am now working a spiritual program. Why would the God of my understanding drop me now?
• that I want all the promises. Which one would you want to do without?
• that I woke before the alarm, am doing a load of laundry and will soon enough head out for our client way out west
• that I was at odds with my temperament last night, but I made it through
• that my heart is glad today, my soul relaxed and my attitude serene

Not to move according to the direction of God as we understand Him is to fall backwards and stagnate. Each positive action we take strengthens our recovery. ~Food for Thought

03.23.09

I'm definitely an alcoholic. My friend asked; 'If they discovered a pill that if you took one you could drink safely, what would you do?' I said; 'I'd want to know what happens if you take two.' ~Larry S. ~Alkie Speak

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Today I am grateful...

• for a sober day that stretches before me, to which I can attach anything I choose
• that I choose to be happy today
• that my nephew is safe and sober
• that Ed G wrote about the possibilities of life stretching between surrenders
• that I moved my desk and accompanying furniture closer to the middle of the room to make room for a giant painting. Somehow I will make this happen. But right now things are still too confined.

But what happens to our feelings when we sit still? If they don't get expressed, they must be caught inside our bodies. Trapped feelings are like birds in a cage, or a rabbit in a trap--they try to get out any way they can. They peck on our heads and give us headaches. They scratch at our stomachs and make us hurt. We must let them out. We must laugh and cry. Then our bodies will be happy, and our feelings will curl up in our laps like happy puppies. ~Today's Gift

03.22.09

Common looking people are the best in the world: that is the reason the Lord makes so many of them. ~Abraham Lincoln
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Today I am grateful...

• for the security of sobriety, the fellowship, of having a sponsor; the security of knowing all is as it should be
• that I can live this day with hope for a bright future
• that today I do not have to live in the past
• for the ease of letting go
• that gratitude is one of the highest blessings

Living with integrity means: Not settling for less than what you know you deserve in your relationships. Asking for what you want and need from others. Speaking your truth, even though it might create conflict or tension. Behaving in ways that are in harmony with your personal values. Making choices based on what you believe, and not what others believe. ~Barbara de Angelis

Saturday Post

I slept a little late today. Anymore on Saturday morning I don't want to post, so I think I will start that later in the day from now on. Unless I wake up and just feel the need. Saturday mornings I do my bookkeeping work at the Lambda Center. There's a lot going on there on Saturdays. Every other Saturday I meet with my wonderful sponsor. We are now going through the stories in the back of the Third Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous, then we discuss them.

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Today's story was The Man Who Mastered Fear. In my lifetime I have had a lot of experience with fear. A lot of that fear was shame based. My father used to shame me to be more like my younger, more athletic brother. That is where it gets tricky, because I have absolutely no memory of that. I only know because my sister, Trailboss, told me he always said to me, "Why can't you be more like your brother." Hearing that from her opened a door of understanding I would not have experienced had I not known that fact. I know where that shame comes from. I can recognize it and turn it over, let it go.

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Sobriety has naturally built in me a confidence never before known to me. I am good enough and know it. Most of the time. The other times my Higher Power guides me back to center fairly quickly. HP is good like that.

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I got a call from KAS that she was at the doughnut shop waiting for her car to be re-tired. So I went and picked her up and we went to Starbucks for a chit, chat and chew. We didn't really chew, but we did the other. She needed to return to work--it's tax season. My friend AP had called earlier and was out running errands with her daughter, so I called her since she would be close by and she came by here and picked me up. We headed out for the farmer's market and she was thrilled with all the fresh produce. We got a lot of stuff for a lot less than K. Roger. She and I had a chit, chat and chew, too. This time I did some chewing, on my Granny Smith apple I had for my afternoon snack. She and I always have the biggest laughs and talk a lot about sobriety and what's going on in our lives. I don't know if I was mistaken for heterosexual today because no one asked me, but we made a cute little family.

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Now it's time to prepare some chicken and vegetables for dinner. I am finally using my George Foreman grill--it makes the most tender grilled chicken ever!!!

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It's a beautiful day here in Texas. The sun is smiling and the world doesn't seem too crazy today.

03.20.09

Happy XXXI Boston!

You are not a human being in search of a spiritual experience. You are a spiritual being immersed in a human experience. ~Teilhard de Chardin

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Today I am grateful...

• that So was calm and collected when she called last night to tell me Ryan drank and was kicked out of rehab. I am so grateful to be available to her as a sober brother--God spared me.
• to have seen Barack Obama on the Tonight Show. It truly made my heart smile to see him so open and frank, at ease, confident and human.
• that I am down 22 pounds on this plan, 39.5 since New Year's
• for the incredible lightness of being I have had lately
• that only time will tell

We never stop learning and growing. When we are ready to accept it, our Higher Power reveals just as much truth to us as we can assimilate. He directs our progress through the Steps of this program as we are prepared to take them. If we are sincere in our efforts, the right help will come when we need it. It may come through another member, a piece of literature, a new insight, or even a difficult experience. Peeling off and discarding worn out layers of ourselves is hard work and is often painful. But when we look back and see how we have grown, the satisfaction more than outweighs the pain. ~Food for Thought

The Faith and the Hunger

24" x 12" (x2"), acrylic on wooden box

03.19.09

Emotional pain is not a character defect. It is a part of life and must be attended to like all our feelings. Feelings are not facts. They are bio-feedback on how we are doing today and what needs attention inside. Feelings won't kill me, but killing my feelings will. ~Pocket Sponsor

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Today I am grateful...

• to wake with a calm mind
• that the wing nuts are pulling their hair out over this!
• to be retired from the debating society
• that I knew there would be bumps in the road to recovery, and I have made it through all them one at a time, but what I didn't expect were all the days of peace and serenity that keep falling into place. What a gift!
• for the gift of creation--that finally in life I am making use of my artistic abilities and in it find such joy

If a newcomer calls at 2 am, I say: "Your answer is on page 63 of the Big Book." -- I don't know what's on page 63, but this guy will start reading and if his answer is not there, he'll think; "Well, he must have given me the wrong page" and keep reading until he finds his answer. ~Serenity Sam.

03.18.09

I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship. ~Louisa May Alcott

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Today I am grateful...

• for the desire to persist in my current weight loss program
• for the practice of gratitude and the self-propelling nature it has created
• that last night I took time for some television and clearing out the DVR
• to strive to follow the advise, "Don't let others rent space in your head" it's a hard one for me, often
• that I do not have the desire to produce eight babies at once, for self-promotion

Sobriety works! The struggle and pain to act responsibly in my life is paying off and it does get better. I am not going to give up. My life is worth more than a quick fix! ~Fr Leo

03.17.09

Abundance has no limit. A life that is richly lived creates much richness in the lives of those all around. Every achievement you see, see as a beginning. Appreciate the richness that is, and you'll be creating even more. ~Ralph Marston

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Today I am grateful...

• for someone who, when I first got sober, insisted on being my friend. I was confused by the attention and did not know his intentions or what he wanted by those actions. I didn't trust anyone. Turns out all he wanted was to be my friend and it was truly a gift to me, that friendship. He is one of the most generous people I have ever met and gives me encouragement on an ongoing basis. He is one of my favorite people on this Earth. And today is his birthday. Happy Birthday, Dave!!!
• that I am not now, nor ever have been, a television actor nor have I ever called Judith Beasley
• that this morning I don't have to wait until 11 AM so I could sneak in and out of one of the liquor stores I used to frequent
• that there will be no green beer for me today
• for the gift of choice and the freedoms that come with it

May the Irish hills caress you.

May her lakes and rivers bless you.

May the luck of the Irish enfold you.

May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.~Irish Blessing

03.16.09

Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.~Oscar Wilde

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Today I am grateful...

• that as much as I love cold, damp days we have a forecast of sun and 78º
• for the irony of Dave being born on St. Patrick's Day (tomorrow) or would that be coincidence?
• that since I long ago got out of the habit of giving thanks for my food, and can't seem to get that habit back, I offer that in my morning prayers
• for some solutions to my storage problems, a bit of cleaning out and the idea of adding a shelf to some dead space
• for the peace and calm of my morning routine

Going it alone in spiritual matters is dangerous. How many times have we heard well-intentioned people claim the guidance of God when it was all too plain that they were sorely mistaken. Lacking both practice and humility, they had deluded themselves and were able to justify the most arrant nonsense on the ground that this was what God had told them. It is worth noting that people of very high spiritual development almost always insist on checking with friends or spiritual advisers the guidance they feel they have received from God. Surely, then, a novice ought not lay himself open to the chance of making foolish, perhaps tragic, blunders in this fashion. While the comment or advice of others may be by no means infallible, it is likely to be far more specific than any direct guidance we may receive while we are still so inexperienced in establishing contact with a Power greater than ourselves. ~12 & 12, p. 60.

03.15.09

The Roots of Violence:

Wealth without work,

Pleasure without conscience,

Knowledge without character,

Commerce without morality,

Science without humanity,

Worship without sacrifice,

Politics without principles.

~Mohandas K. Ghandi

I can't believe it's already March 14th!

This above all, to refuse to be a victim. Unless I can do that I can do nothing. ~Margaret Atwood

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Today I am grateful...

• for the watcher of my thoughts and the power behind my breath
• that the tiniest tear can hold the greatest insight--it all depends on how you see it
• that I don't have any big fears about today
• that I don't get lonely, my anger subsides fairly quickly, if I get tired I nap and my hunger only comes from watching my food intake
• that I have this glorious, gray, cloudy day to make what I want of it

God can be appreciated in the grape, but He can also be experienced in the soda. We need to find new ways to be happy. ~Fr Leo

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Getting sober is often only a first small step in getting well. Many recovering alcoholics must also face an underlying depression that seems to mock their efforts to attain real serenity. But sobriety does not cause the depression. It simply lays bare a condition that was present all along, but had been masked by repeated binges. It's probably true, too, that many of us used alcohol partly as a drug to combat depression because it temporarily lifted our mood and relieved our pain. ~Walk in Dry Places

Friday the 13th

Think a new thought, and the whole world changes in front of your eyes. Adopt a new perspective, and you enter a new reality. What seems to be out there is precisely your perception and interpretation of what's out there. And as such, you can truly make it whatever you choose. ~Ralph Marston

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Today I am grateful...

• that I can use restraint of pen and tongue...and do
• for spiritual growth, not spiritual perfection
• that my program of recovery is not something I can put beside yours and make comparisons
• for the power to carry it out
• that everything will be okay

True open-mindedness does not mean empty-mindedness. We still can have strong convictions, consistent values, and definite opinions. But in the spirit of open-mindedness, we should continuously reexamine our views and adopt new ideas for improvement and growth. Open-mindedness helped bring us to sobriety. It can also open the doors to other blessings that will bring enrichment and happiness. ~Walk in Dry Places

03.12.09

I have learned this at least by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. ~Henry David Thoreau

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Today I am grateful...

• for a finely crafted share yesterday about the devastation an alcoholic can live through, coming and going through the doors of AA, and still survive
• to walk on the sober side of the street which I have kept clean
• that I have things to do today and not one of them includes stopping by the liquor store
• because I can celebrate today instead of dealing with the haze of a hangover
• for spiritual connections with others

Simplicity is the keynote of a good life. Choose the simple things always. Life can become complicated if you let it be so. You can be swamped by difficulties if you let them take up too much of your time. Every difficulty can be either solved or ignored and something better substituted for it. Love the humble things of life. Reverence the simple things. Your standard must never be the world's standard of wealth and power. ~Twenty-Four Hours a Day

03.11.09

They have rights who dare defend them. ~Roger Baldwin

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Today I am grateful...

• for anticipation of a peaceful Wednesday
• that today I can take a compliment as it is intended and say 'thank you'
• that my life has been changed by the program of recovery and the 12 Steps
• for the 'to do' list I put together yesterday
• for the privilege of recognizing a Higher Power

In recovery, we regain our right to have choices, our right to have honest relationships. Do we claim these rights, or do we let them go by? Sometimes, standing up for our rights will mean going against the crowd. It will mean turning down that drink when everyone else has one. It will mean telling your honest opinion when it's different from the others think. Being sober will mean, at times, being different. Lots of times, we find being different hard. We want to fit in. This is normal. But we don't stand alone. We have friends who will stand with us during hard times. We have a Higher Power who will guide and comfort us. We are people with rights. Let's work hard so nothing takes away our rights. ~Keep It Simple

How about a little ART 101?

I stumbled across a short feature on Ellis Gallagher last night on the Current channel. He traces shadows on the street or sidewalk with sidewalk chalk. The outlined shadow seems illuminated when first done, then the shadow moves and what remains is the ghost of a shadow. Brilliant!

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I am fascinated by art like this. The most mundane and almost free, expression turned inside out. He said he was mugged by someone brandishing a machete, and he remembered the shadow. He then became fascinated with shadows. I am, too. You can see it in my art.

The Contagious Dark Heart

36" x 30", acrylic on canvas

03.10.09

This is my voice, my weapon of choice. ~Grace Jones

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Today I am grateful...

• for those that come back but are not ready to take a desire chip yet
• that I don't see any men in white coats coming for me in the future
• to be surrounded by love and support
• that I have a higher power that lets me be me with a few revisions
• that witches do not fly through my bedroom any more

Faith - the sacred place in every person, where we stand alone with God. Each of us must forge our own unique relationship with God, a God who is everywhere and speaks to us in all we do. It is up to us to stop and listen. It is up to us to respond - to begin the conversation. And a conversation is the first step - just as in any relationship - in establishing trust, in building friendship, in creating communion. ~Friendship with God

Post 2413 on 03.09.09

We aren't bodies at all; who we are is the love inside us, and it is that love alone that determines our value. When our minds are filled with light, there is no room for darkness. ~Marianne Williamson
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Today I am grateful...

• to have Pam say "I cannot believe people are not beating the doors down to learn what is in this book" (as she held up the Big Book over her head). It's true. There is a solution and we have it at our fingertips. And it's FREE.
• that with spiritual growth comes a change in thinking
• that my thoughts are healthier
• for no regrets of yesterday
• that today spreads out before me, I don't know what will happen, who I will meet, what I will think, what I will learn. What I do know is it will be vastly different from any day I spent drinking.
  

God cannot be contained by dogma and rules. The doubts have become part of my faith. The state of "not knowing" becomes creative and stimulating. My relationship with God today is real. To "not know" is the beginning of wisdom. ~Fr Leo

03.08.09

I overslept because I forgot about the time change.
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Pam was AWESOME!
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I gotta quickly do some prayer and meditation and get to the Came to Believe meeting.
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More later...
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Well, now it's later and the afternoon is almost gone. I was going to do my usual posting this afternoon but this is a day where time is not my friend, so to keep from lying about 'more later' it's just this little pitiful paragraph. I am off to the grocery store and then to dinner at a friend's and some television. Good night, have a great evening.

Things I Love!

Kim at Something to Say, a favorite place for interesting links, gave me the Kreativ Blogger award. Thanks, Kim!

*Here are the award rules: List 7 things that you love and then pass the award on to 7 bloggers you love! Be sure to tag them and let them know they have won! You can copy the picture of the award and put it on your sideboard letting the whole world know...you're KREATIV!

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I don't tag people anymore. If you wanna play the game steal the banner and run with it.

1. I love that the City of Houston is replacing the small recyclable bins with extra large green trash cans. We can now recycle glass!
2. I love dogs. I love people that love dogs. Nothing makes me happier than seeing a happy dog.
3. I love new socks. If I were rich I would wear socks only before they are washed, then launder then and give them away. (Not really, but I do love the socks in their pre-washed state.)
4. I love to get choked up listening to another alcoholic share. It shows me my heart is expanding.
5. I love good design. When my eyes are pleased my soul is pleased.
6. I love to laugh. There is nothing better than getting lost in laughter. It chases away lots of stuff. Try being fearful when you are laughing.
7. I love that I love my life. I love that I could go on and on about the things that bring me happiness. Because to love something means that something brings me happiness. And that is the original thought behind my Higher Power bringing me here. Humans were designed to celebrate life and be happy doing it.

So there is a short list. Take it away...if you are so inclined.

03.06.09 The goose drank wine...

...the monkey chewed tobacco on the street car line, the line broke, the monkey got choked and they all went to heaven in a little row boat. Clap. Clap. ~Shirley Ellis, The Clapping Song

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To compare our lives to other people's lives when we have no idea of what they are here to learn or fulfill doesn't benefit anyone -- especially you. ~Daily Om

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Today I am grateful...

• that tomorrow I get to hear Pammie tell her story
• that I love speaker meetings because it reminds me of the complete incomprehensible demoralization I had to reach before I could finally surrender to the program of AA
• for focus to protect my serenity second only to my sobriety
• to see my life as purposeful, not some fluke cipher foating around
• that tomorrow I get to meet with my wonderful sponsor, attend a CA convention and attend art gallery openings

And we can't take any credit for having stopped drinking, because we didn't do it by our own will power. There's no place for pride or boasting. We can only be grateful to God for doing for us what we could never do for ourselves. ~Twenty-Four Hours a Day

03.05.09

You have the opportunity to respond to whatever happens in your world. And the way you respond determines the quality of your life. What matters most is not what happens to you. What matters most is the way you respond. ~Ralph Marston

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Today I am grateful...

• for the complexity of the sensual world, not the sexual stuff, but all we experience through our senses. If you concentrate on it things change for a moment.
• for the incredible creativity that surrounds me, humans and Higher Power are capable of amazing things
• for all the choices I have today, including to stay sober instead of falling back into misery
• for my recovery program guided by a sponsor and a Higher Power
• that of all the things I may miss in this world, alcohol and cigarettes are not on that list

I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today. ~William Allen White

03.04.09

...there is One who has all power, including the power to enlighten our darkness and prevent our self destruction. Through daily contact with this Higher Power, we develop spiritual strength which will control and direct our physical drives so that they do not control and destroy us. ~Food for Thought

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Today I am grateful...

• for comment moderation, although yesterday I neglected to approve the comments so there were lots waiting for me this morning
• that I laughed for fifteen minutes, out loud (real LOLs) at i can has cheezburgers
• that a laugh or some service will lift me out of a small snit, usually

Today I choose not to be neutral in my life. I speak about my alcoholism so that I can on a daily basis make war on the disease that nearly killed me. I speak out about the disease of addiction so that society cannot say that it did not know what was happening. I speak up for treatment and recovery because I know it can work in the vast majority of cases. I am not neutral when it comes to addiction because I am fighting for my life. ~Fr Leo

03.03.09

We have been known to think that dishonesty with others was OK as long as it didn't 'hurt' them. We really don't know what will hurt another or not. Being dishonest with other people deprives them of the information they need to run their own lives. Honesty is honesty. Let me understand that 'little' dishonesties are a disservice to others as well as myself. ~Daily Reflections for Beginners

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Today I am grateful...

• to go with the flow
• for frozen vegetables. I forgot to prepare some fresh ones for lunch today and the frozen ones saved lots of time. Today--cauliflower with Bragg's liquid amino acids. And grilled chicken.
• my Higher Power as it manifests in many forms in my life
• for concentration in fending off fearful thoughts as our economy changes
• that prayer updates my life browser daily
  

Until I could honestly look at myself and see that I was the problem in many situations and react appropriately inside and out; until I could discard my expectations and understand that my serenity was directly proportional to them, I could not experience serenity and sound sobriety. ~Daily Reflections

03.02.09

If everyone approached getting their driver's license like they approach the Twelve Steps, I'd have the highways to myself. ~Ted H from Alkie Speak

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Today I am grateful...

• that I am down thirteen pounds since last Tuesday
• that this new eating plan has me feeling hungry at times, it is a far better feeling than being stuffed
• to have started a new large (for me) painting last night
• that my debating society resignation was accepted a while ago
• that life today looks so differently than I ever expected it to

May I always remember that the power within me is far greater than any fear before me. May I always have patience, for I am on the right road. ~Daily Reflections

03.01.09

This I believe. This I understand. And step by step it is beginning to work in my life. ~Fr Leo

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Today I am grateful...

• for last night's wonderful birthday celebration at the Lambda Center
• that today I can roll without gathering as much moss as I did in the past
• that what I have today, the peace and quiet in my head, is a gift with no comparison
• to sit contentedly last night at the Chocolate Bar and eat my little Granny Smith apple
• that since the world is filled with sleepwalkers, today I choose to be awake

As newcomers, many of us have indulged in spiritual intoxication. Like a gaunt prospector, belt drawn in over the last ounce of food, we saw our pick strike gold. Joy at our release from a lifetime of frustration knew no bounds. ~As Bill Sees It