09.30.09

Nothing is worth more than this day. ~Goethe

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Today I am grateful...

• that I got to hang out with Boston last night to help her celebrate four years of recovery. She inspires me.
• that I honestly have no regrets, unless there are some hiding in that secret drawer where I put feelings before I am aware of them
• that I am easily emotional. When I am moved, and I often am during meetings, I know that is the divine love surging through my heart and expanding it because it needs to be able to hold more and more.
• that my sobriety continues to evolve. It has yet to become static because I feed it spiritually healthy things.
• for conscious contact with my Higher Power

Life begins right outside your comfort zone. Start changing. If I fail to change the person I was when I came in, that person will take me out! ~Pocket Sponsor

09.29.09

It's hard work taking everyone elses inventory. Worst of all, they seldom seem grateful! ~Anonymous

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Today I am grateful...

• for love, joy and abundance
• that I am free to be myself
• that I might not succeed, but I do try to be part of the solution
• for the miracles I have witnessed in my life and in the lives of others through the program of Alcoholics Anonymous
• that my ultimate responsibility is for myself, and that if I attend that responsibility with the work I am to do, I can lend some of the good stuff to others

The best reason for gratitude is the outlook it creates as we cultivate it within ourselves. We will actually feel mentally and physically uplifted if we know true gratitude. This is the true spiritual outlook alcoholics seek in the bottle but can find only in the new way of life. ~Walk in Dry Places

09.28.09

When brimming with gratitude, one's heartbeat must surely result in outgoing love... ~Bill W
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Today I am grateful...

• that in he mornings my mind is quiet and not just waiting for me to wake up so it can pounce on me
• that I am up early so I can get to my stress test on time
• that I love it that Bill W talks about heartbeat when I have a stress test scheduled
• that in recovery my life grows and evolves
• that I continue to strive to trust all the while praying for release from the bondage of the ego self

Get rid of the excuses for not doing those things that make you happy. ~Fr Leo

"I like to read a murder mystery, I like to know the killer isn't me." -Erasure

09.27.09

If you want to feel better, act better. ~Dee C

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Today I am grateful...

• for perfect Saturdays
• that I got to break bread with two friends in their new home
• for friendships forged in recovery
• for dinner with friends
• that birthday night at Lambda Center last night was filled to the brim with love and celebrations of changed lives
• to have observed from a close distance (about three feet) the powerful and creepy effects of lust. I was able to offer an escape for a friend that was being hawked upon in an inappropriate manner.
• for the giggles at the table at an after birthday night celebration
• that I will miss Lou's posts

Miracles become medically respectable only when they pile up into big statistics, scientifically authentic. By 1944 there were about 20,000 active AAs, all former derelicts, all now sober and working. What struck me then, and has since, was not so much that the AAs I met were dry but that they were a new kind of human being. ~from silkworth.net (a reprint of a 1950 Reader's Digest article)

09.26.09

You can't hold a man down without staying down with him. ~Booker T. Washington

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Today I am grateful...

• that I believe I am here for a reason: to love myself and others
• that I have learned to accept myself
• that with self-acceptance comes self-respect
• that what I do has an effect on others, that I am apart of other's lives and they a part of mine
• that I have begun to trust

Did you know that the word 'share' derives from the Old English word for 'shear' which means to cut or divide? To share with others means to divide your burden. Each time you share, you leave another little piece of the weight of your burden with them. By sharing, I divide; by dividing, I lighten my load. ~Pocket Sponsor

Casa de Muertos Locos

10" x 8" acrylic on tin
Donation for the Lawndale Center Dia de los Muertos fundraiser.

Photo by Lou.

09.25.09

To speak ill of others is a dishonest way of praising ourselves. ~Will Durant

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Today I am grateful...

• to have no demands today, but many choices
• that if I keep my perspective healthy today I will have a better experience
• that today is right on time, another piece of the puzzle
• that most early mornings, like this one, I feel totally at peace
• that the journey is life long in its length -- the destination just always out of reach

My understanding of God is within the context of freedom. God is involved in His world but He allows it an autonomy. We are not puppets on a string. When things begin to go wrong, God does not interfere and make changes (usually) without our cooperation. God reveals the extent of His love by allowing us a creative responsibility in our lives. ~Fr Leo

09.24.09

While you may fear what seems to be the inevitable fall, consider that in all likelihood you will find yourself flying. ~Daily Om

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Today I am grateful...

• when someone shares their difficulties and they start crying. It makes me love our beautiful program even more.
• that yesterday was a 'wear me out day'--work was busy, busy, busy...made two meetings, dinner with friends, managed to nap for fifteen minutes in the middle of all that and found myself nodding off in front of the computer. Fell into bed and don't remember anything after that.
• that I am sure it has happened before, but I don't remember cool weather coming as early as it has this year. I also don't remember a hotter summer and am grateful it has tucked its tail in and run away.
• for those that show me how relationships work in sobriety
• that today, really, it's all good

Today I am an alcoholic. Tomorrow will be no different. My alcoholism lives within me now and forever. I must never forget what I am. Alcohol will surely kill me if I fail to recognize and acknowledge my disease on a daily basis. I am not playing a game in which a loss is a temporary setback. I am dealing with my disease, for which there is no cure, only daily acceptance and vigilance. ~Daily Reflections

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09.23.09

The artist who aims at perfection in everything achieves it in nothing. ~Eugene Delacroix

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Today I am grateful...

• for the purple beach ball that has been outside my door for the past three days. Something about it being there is comforting.
• that it is decidedly cooler outside this morning. 67º!
• that yesterday was a fulfilling workday
• how short the days feel anymore because they are full and satisfying and contain exactly what I need
• for the quiet stirring in my soul when I hear another alcoholic tell where they came from

In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness. Our life is a long and arduous quest after Truth. ~Mahatma Gandhi

09.22.09

The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool. ~Richard Feynman

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Today I am grateful...

• to listen to the rhythm of the falling rain
• for more gifts yesterday than I can remember. Some of the ones I can remember are working with a friend to hang the art in his home, checks from the gallery, getting Snowy back from the mechanic, an autographed copy of Say Yes to Your Spirit by Fr Leo that came in the mail from a reader, a glorious black and silver S T Dupont mechanical pencil from a friend/client, a note via snail mail from an old friend, a wonderful first step Beginner's meeting, hearing about a friend's blessed day, falling asleep with a smile on my heart...
• that Bunny got his business done before the rains came
• that time and time again inner contact with HP seals the deal

You are always a valuable, worthwhile human being - not because somebody says so, not because you're successful, not because you make a lot of money - but because you decide to believe it and for no other reason. ~Dr. Wayne Dyer

The Geography of Mourning

20" x 20", acrylic on canvas

09.21.09

Love doesn’t make the world go around. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile. ~Franklin Jones

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Today I am grateful...

• that the weekend ended on a quiet, peaceful note
• that Fall officially starts tomorrow!
• to be sober amongst the sober
• that I wound up, after all, in the winner's circle
• that I have no craving for alcohol or nicotine or to overeat

Today I understand that sobriety is more than "not picking up the first drink"; it involves quiet acts of kindness to myself and others. God works through me -- through my hands, my smile, my voice, my love and my acceptance. When an opportunity arises for me to be ordinarily kind, I intend to give it; God knows I have needed such kindnesses from others in the past. ~Fr Leo

Bunny on red sheets

09.20.09

The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. ~Henry David Thoreau

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Today I am grateful...

• for a life so rich in texture that last night as I lay in bed I was free from fear, grateful for such a fulfilling day--that I have the money for car repairs, friends that love me and will pick me up from the mechanics shop, loan me their car, tell me they love me, share food and silliness, have a loving puppy asleep under the covers...such overwhelming gratitude let loose little tears and I out-stretched my arms in an attempt to show my Higher Power that I am truly, truly grateful.

In the morning I feed my faith-flames. In the evening I see something quite astonishing: All my doubts have died of starvation. ~Sri Chinmoy

I know, right?

09.19.09

Self is the only prison that can ever bind the soul. ~Henry Van Dyke

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Today I am grateful...

• for the freedoms in sobriety, that I can be spontaneous and carefree occasionally
• that God throws us together with others in recovery that offer such great life lessons
• for art events in endless amounts. There is so much out there.
• to be blessed with another sober Saturday. No longer do I wait until 11 a.m. for the liquor store to open so I can make the awfulness go away.
• for those who have led the way and assured me all would be okay if I did the work

Calvin: Do you believe in the devil? You know, a supreme evil being dedicated to the temptation, corruption, and destruction of man?

Hobbes: I'm not sure that man needs the help.

09.1+8.09

I'd rather be able to face myself in the bathroom mirror than be rich and famous. -Ani DeFranco

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Today I am grateful...

• to play with the abandon of a child yesterday afternoon
• that I saw a commercial for stuffed French Toast and it made me sick to my stomach. The stuff some people eat...ewww.
• that with the weather getting cooler I am adding walking back into my schedule
• for the morning gallery talk I gave yesterday. It wasn't as dynamic as the night before, but it was what it was.
• that the practice of gratitude slays BIG DEMONS!

Every time you experience joy, there is one less person feeling pain. Each time you spread joy to another, the positive power of that joy begins to multiply. There is no limit to how far and wide the joy can spread when you send it out beyond you. There is no telling what goodness will eventually result when you choose to nurture and send forth joy from your life. ~Ralph Marston

09.17.09

Less is more. ~Mies Van der Rohe

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Today I am grateful...

• that I gave into grace last night when I stopped fighting
• that the gallery talk last night went well
• that I get to give another one this morning
• to be surrounded by life and people that are living it with gusto
• for the outline for living you guys gave me

To ensure that the effect we have is positive, we must strive to stay true to ourselves while realizing that it is the demeanor we project and not the quality of our wondrous inner landscapes that people see. Thus, as we interact with others, how we behave can be as important as who we are. If we project our passion for life, our warmth, and our tolerance in our facial features, voice, and choice of words, every person who enters our circle of influence will leave our presence feeling at peace with themselves and with us. You never know whose life you are affecting, big or small. Try to remember this as you go out into the world each day. ~Daily Om

A Mark Quinn sculpture

09.16.09

The worst vice of the fanatic is his sincerity. ~Oscar Wilde

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Today I am grateful...

• that the nip of autumn in the air came early this year
• that sometimes I wish I could switch to 'Pam mode' for the sheer entertainment factor
• that I got my DVR situation straightened out with AT&T yesterday even though it meant I lost everything I had recorded
• that today will proceed as planned--whatever that is
• that I bet you I will encounter joy today in expected and unexpected places
• that everyone that participated in naming the painting got all or part of their title in the final (see post below)

The disease of alcoholism is "cunning, baffling and powerful", and it manipulates us to believe "the lie". There is a point that we reach in our disease where we believe that crazy behavior is acceptable. Insanity becomes the order of the day. And when friends or therapists try to give us a message, we discount them. ~Fr Leo

THE DEVIL WAS SINGING THE SAME OFFBEAT SECTIONS OF ALLEGORICAL GRIDLOCK FOUND IN THE LONE SCHOOL OF ENLIGHTENED SHOWERS. PIECES APART, ARISING, IT WAS THE SAME AS IT EVER WAS. THE ANDROMEDA CROSSROADS ONCE AGAIN LED THE RAPTUROUS ICE MEN TO AN ENLIGHTENED UNITED SEARCH OF A BLUE ATUMNAL EQUINOX AS THEY WAITED FOR THE ASCENDING ETHOS TO FALL, LIGHT AS A SHOWER OF FEATHERS INTO THE STREAM OF LIFE


22" x 28", acrylic on canvas

painting title from reader submissions

09.15.09

We find it hard to believe that other people's thoughts are as silly as our own, but they probably are. ~James Harvey Robinson
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Today I am grateful...

• that my post partum depression seems to have lifted. One-on-one time with another alcoholic does wonders in what becomes of self-centered thoughts.
• that a friend and I went to meeting in another fellowship and realized that was not the place for us
• that today I will pay my quarterly taxes, moving a little money from savings to do that
• that flexible schedules sure beats what I used to do
• that Bunny farted while I was praying and it made me laugh!

The TWELVE Rewards

1. HOPE instead of desperation
2. FAITH instead of despair
3. COURAGE instead of fear
4. PEACE OF MIND instead of confusion
5. SELF-RESPECT instead of self-contempt
6. SELF-CONFIDENCE instead of helplessness
7. The RESPECT of others instead of their pity and contempt
8. A CLEAN CONSCIENCE instead of a sense of guilt
9. REAL FRIENDSHIPS instead of loneliness
10. A CLEAN PATTERN of Life instead of a purposeless existence
11. The LOVE and UNDERSTANDING of our families instead of their doubts and fears
12. The FREEDOM of a HAPPY LIFE instead of the bondage of addictive obsessions

Did you submit a name for the painting below?

Name that painting!

This is the painting I was stuck on a while back. I think I solved the problem but now I don't have a title.

If you have a serious title please submit it in the comment section. Thanks!

The show from outside looking in

09.14.09

No man can think clearly when his fists are clenched. ~George Jean Nathan

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Today I am grateful...

• that I can admit to myself that I am having some post partum depression after the Saturday night event ended
• for my favorite slogan, "This too shall pass"
• for departure from my usual Sunday morning routine. I was invited to brunch at a friend's where we ate, played games with her kids and talked a lot about recovery.
• for the gift of the experience of doing the next right, loving thing. It has and will carry me forward.
• that I offer my will and my life to the care of my Higher Power every day

Who or what do you want to become? A good parent? A sober, recovering person? A good girlfriend, boyfriend, or spouse? Do you want to become happy, peaceful, tolerant? Don't wait until you're successful to tell yourself you're that. Start now by saying you are what you want to become instead of reinforcing the words I'm not. Yes, you have much to learn. Yes, there's a ways to go on that path. And you may not be proficient at it, or an expert,yet. But you don't have to be to say those two little words I am. ~More Language of Letting Go

09.13.09

A great lesson we have to learn is how to wait with patience. ~12 and 12

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Today I am grateful...

• to do the work and then leave the results to a power greater than I
• for all the loving faces that I was privileged to greet last night. Old friends, new friends, acquaintances and all the others.
• that once again gratitude has carried me further than I would have ever guessed
• that the trudge is so worth it
• for the changes in my life for the past 2,126 days. Astonishing.

If you think you are a victim of the universe, you are probably right. If you think of yourself as becoming whole from your experience, you are probably right. I am the victor, not the victim. It took all of my past to make this person I love today. ~Pocket Sponsor

09.12.09

But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads. ~Albert Camus

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Sent to me last night: It was superb getting to see you today. It was as if all of our lives came to a stop for a few minutes so we could all gather for a cup of coffee and snacks before we had to rush off back to our busy, beautiful lives.

Isn't that lovely?

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Today I am grateful...

• that adding blogging to my retinue of daily recovery practices has borne such beautiful fruit. Last night I got to meet Lou, sit with her and Pam in a meeting and then we shared a meal of TexMex along with Alfreda, Lou's lovely mother, and a friend from the fellowship. Our recovery crosses all lines and gave us the comfort of meeting physically--we had all met across the ether here, in this medium called the Internet. Lou was just as I expected, bright and strong and full of life.
• that tonight I will have the privilege of welcoming people to the gallery
• that today I will have what I need, what I want and what nourishes my soul

Perhaps one of the greatest rewards of meditation and prayer is the sense of belonging that comes to us. We no longer live in a completely hostile world. We are no longer lost and frightened and purposeless. ~Bill W

09.11.09

The great mind knows the power of gentleness. ~Robert Browning

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Today I am grateful...

• for the power of the practice of gratitude. It has changed my life, my thoughts and my actions.
• for the experience of turning into 8-year-olds howling with laughter in the back seat of a friend's car yesterday. So much fun!
• that as I continue to stay sober and work a program of recovery new things are revealed to me. Some are huge and some are as subtle as the breeze from a butterflies wings, and somehow I have been made aware of many of them. Life on the other side of the bottle can be glorious. I am in awe of this experience. On a daily basis I am incredibly grateful.
• that I have been seeing butterflies daily for three weeks or so

The world only makes sense because people share. It is the giving and receiving that makes life worthwhile. To be an island unto myself is isolation. I know what it was to be lonely. Today I desire are relationship of mind, body and feelings. ~Fr Leo

09.10.09

The slicker, the sicker. ~Pocket Sponsor

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Today I am grateful...

• for plenty of chances for service work--to be asked and to answer yes
• that I am getting a little better in restraint of tongue and pen
• that compared to where I was headed...I got a great deal
• today two friends arrive from other places and another returns home
• that I am willing to try to step past my old self image

It was once said that the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped. ~Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey

090909ohnineohnineohnine

Oh, God, help me believe the truth about myself, no matter how beautiful. ~Marcina Viederkehr

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Today I am grateful...

• for little blessings that shut my mind up
• for Bunny's great, big ears and that I love to rub them
• that I went to a birthday party last night for two of my oldest friends, it was in a bar and it was the first time I have been in a bar since 1998
• that having a cocktail was never in my thoughts
• that in my past life all my thoughts were fueled from alcoholism, now they are fueled from recovery

Wet the bed and blame the blanket—that is the life we led. With the Twelve Steps, we learn that problems are basically of our own making. At the end of BLAME is ME. ~Pocket Sponsor

09.08.09

When obstacles block your path, be sure that you're carrying a dream that will show you the view from a higher perspective. ~Ralph Marston

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Today I am grateful...

• for a truly great weekend of relaxing, meetings, time with me and Bunny, painting, time with friends, a picnic in the park topped off with a Beginner's meeting with the topic "Why do you keep coming back?"
• that I have been a little bit fretful over dropping my land line. Today it's gone so I can either fret or restore it. I think I will choose to not fret.
• the more you write and say 'fret' the wronger it feels
• for the peace of having what I want and wanting what I have
• for my host of friends and loved ones
• for the gift of time and all its healing properties

I lied to impress. I lied to hide my guilt and shame. I lied to cover my mistakes. I lied to bridge the silence. I lied to fantasize. I lied to hurt and destroy. I lied to hide the real me. Then I lied to cover the lies. Then I lied to cover the lies I told to cover the original lies! So it went on. Endless. Exhausting. Meaningless. A part of me always loathed the lies I told. Then I grew to hate myself. ~Fr Leo

09.07.09

Getting angry can sometimes be like leaping into a wonderfully responsive sports car, gunning the motor, taking off at high speed and then discovering the brakes are out of order.~Maggie Scarf

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Today I am grateful...

• for a weekend of leisure
• that I would seriously rather be happy than be right
• for one of the most important tools I have, another alcoholic to talk to
• for Murray State Univ where I burned the doors to the closet
• for my HS art teacher, Jan Floyd, who constantly said to me ‘Go your own way, do your own thing’
• for the cord that lets me come back to the body after dreaming
• that it's pretty much ALL GOOD!

[T]he man with the grown-up brain and the childish emotions - vanity, self-interest, false pride, jealousy, longing for social approval, to name a few - becomes a prime candidate for alcohol. To my way of thinking, that is a definition of alcoholism; a state of being in which the emotions have failed to grow to the stature of the intellect. ~Experience, Strength & Hope, pg. 411

Annie

09.06.09

Addiction is answering the spiritual calling inside us by going to the wrong address. ~Chris Ringer

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Today I am grateful...

• that my sister and her family were not afraid to do the right thing in giving Annie her wings. She was their heart dog and as pets do, she showed them how to love more than they thought possible.
• that this morning Bunny's tummy is feeling better. Last night it was upset and he was embarrassed. Poor little guy.
• that I finished the problem painting, the one where I couldn't quite get the composition right. It's finished for now, because I am still pondering it. Maybe I will photograph it and let you guys decide.
• that I still have no desire for "Boomer Ink?" Tattoos for people over age 50? It's a story on the Today Show this morning.

What are you holding on to, telling yourself you can't live without? Is there a person who you fear will go away? Is there a job or a particular level of success you've attached yourself to? Is there a level of finances that you're waiting to have before you let yourself feel complete? Do an inventory of your life. Discern what you've convinced yourself you need to be complete. Now, transfer these people or things to a list in your journal. Make the title of that list "people and things I need to release and detach from my self-esteem." You can still have these people or things in your life, but your goal here is to get clear on your motives for wanting them in your life. ~More Language of Letting Go

Happy Birthday, Dave!

09.05.09

The seeds of recovery are planted in the daily hello. ~Fr Leo

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Today I am grateful...

• that six years ago today Dave was granted his reprieve from the grips of alcohol. He is truly one of the most generous people I have ever known. When I came into the rooms he would always sit by me before or after a meeting, often in the smoking lounge (we have both successfully quit). I was suspicious for a while, then I figured out all he wanted was to be my friend. He was born into this world three months before I did and he sobered up 3 months before I did. I am truly grateful for my friend Dave.
• for an email from Darlene, a friend of Father Leo's. She told him I often quote him here and he sent the above quote to me, to be shared with you.
• that it's a long weekend. Today I get to meet with my sponsor, so some work at TLC, paint, nap, play with my new iPhone, and whatever else pleases my heart.
• for freedom, freedom, freedom

I have never seen a greater monster or miracle than myself.----Montaigne

We know we’ve hurt people. We’ve heard our family cry out from pain we’ve caused them. Because of alcohol and other drugs, we acted like monsters. But we now live surrounded with love. We now work to make this world better. Recovery is a miracle. The rebirth of our spirit is our miracle. It’s no wonder we love life the way we do! We’ve been given a second chance. Our joy is overflowing. Our Higher Power must love us very much. ~Keep It Simple

Life just isn't pretty all the time...

09.04.09

The flow of the universe and its perfect order has room to move in our lives when we get ourselves and our extraneous thoughts out of the way. ~Daily Om

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Today I am grateful...

• for the soft sounds of raindrops and the cool air outside this morning
• that I was able to put down my new iPhone long enough to go to bed last night
• for the lightness of being I had all day yesterday
• that love and grace fill my life, even getting down in those little dusty corners
• that simplicity is always the preferred M.O. in my life

I told the operator I wanted to talk to Alcoholics Anonymous - this was 28 years ago - so instead of giving me the Central Office she gave me the local Alano Club. The person picked up and said: "Hello." and gave the phone number. I said: "I want to talk to whoever is in charge." - I always believed in going immediately to the top. And there was a hell of an argument on the other end, as they snatched the phone away from each other while they decided who was in charge. Finally, one guy got on and said - and doesn't this make sense? Listen to this; he said: "Our Higher Power can't speak to you on the phone right now, but I have been authorized to speak in His behalf on any issues of recovery." ~AlkieSpeak

Some people really know how to party!

09.03.09

Take heart; it came to pass, it didn't come to stay. ~Unknown

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Today I am grateful...

• for sober laughter. Things that are funny, and there are a lot of them, just seem so much funnier now.
• for a double meeting and triple fellowship Wednesday
• that I feel pretty comfortable in my skin these days
• that I got registered for the 2010 International Convention in San Antonio and got my hotel room, a nice one, with a river view
• that my life just seems to be so stunning at times

Low self-esteem-- and all the ways it manifests-- becomes a way of coping with painful events. We look around and see all the people who don't appear to have our level of problems, so we may conclude, "There's something wrong with me." Although adapting a posture of low self-esteem might have been a way of surviving pain, that time has passed. It's time to replace low self-esteem with new perspectives. Stop coping with events by devaluing yourself. Instead, respond to life by loving and taking care of yourself. ~More Language of Letting Go

No more Richard Simmons

09.02.09

You don't have to believe. Aren't you willing to believe that there is a reason for your life, even though you may not know yourself what that reason is, or that you may not sometimes know the right way to behave? ~Daily Reflections

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Today I am grateful...

• that since the scales showed me up two pounds this morning it will be a day of sensible eating, lots of salad, and I am good with that
• that I opened the gallery for a private showing last night and the good prospect of a purchase
• for dinner last night at a local diner where I saw lots of recovery people, lots of cute men and had good food (plus a stimulus brownie for $1--it even had a little scoop of ice cream on top)
• that it is decidedly cooler this morning. After such a sweltering summer it's a nice change.
• that today is what it is and will be what it will be

What it was like. What happened. What it is like today. Memory. If I am to stay sober, I need to remember. I need to remember on a daily basis. I must never forget.

My memory is the key to my recovery. Spirituality is about "seeing" -- seeing my life as it is, rather than how I imagined or hoped it would be. My pain belongs in my life because it is mine! Alcohol always works; but does it work for me or against me? My remembering helps me answer that question today and hopefully tomorrow. ~Fr Leo

'Cos I can...

09.01.09

Neither our struggles nor the daydreams that inspire us are beyond the range of universal perception. Yet to manifest our aspirations, we not only need to know what it is we generally wish to achieve; we also need to clearly articulate these aims to ourselves and the universe. ~Daily Om (read the whole article HERE)

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Today I am grateful...

• to have been reminded last night by someone on their first day of sobriety just how full of fear I was when I came into AA. Today I have fears, they are still there somewhat, but nothing compared to what I used to carry with me.
• that a friend wrote something so dear to me last night and gave me a new insight into our friendship
• for the article in 002 magazine about the Nau-haus Gallery and that my art is in the photos
• for so much good stuff in today's meditations
• for the good life

Give your long-term intentions the opportunity to dispel the short-term, momentary urges. With a clear, solid purpose firmly in mind, you'll stay reliably on track. Whatever you choose to imagine can happen for you. Constantly give your goals a sincere reason why, and you'll bring them steadily to life. ~Ralph Marston

If more gifts are to be received, our awakening has to go on. ~As Bill Sees It

Sobriety fills the painful "hole in the soul" that my alcoholism created. Often I feel so physically well that I believe my work is done. However, joy is not just the absence of pain; it is the gift of continued spiritual awakening. Joy comes from ongoing and active study, as well as application of the principles of recovery in my everyday life, and from sharing that experience with others. My Higher Power presents many opportunities for deeper spiritual awakening. I need only to bring into my recovery the willingness to grow. Today I am ready to grow. ~Daily Reflections