Reasons

men can fix anything.

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful


that I'm still around - for a reason

that I don't know that reason; if I did, I'd probably be kinda scared

for the spiritual awakenings I've experienced since September 2003

for perseverance and determination

Anger is never without a reason, but seldom a good one.
- Benjamin Franklin

no title comes to mind

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that it's not always easy being simple (glad I worded that correctly)

for my perseverance of recovery; something I didn't even know I could do

for a discussion meeting about sponsorship. I don't care for that term, but it's what is used. I prefer to think of "sponsees" as people I'm working with, people with whom I am sharing what I know about the 12 steps so that they may practice the steps and then pass along their knowledge and experience to others.

that I'm much, much better at not overwhelming myself with too much volunteer work. I can get really stressed out. Both of my brain cells don't like to be active at the same time.

Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure, it is work.
- Anna Quindlen

just typing thru

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

Morph

Morphing the Presidents
courtesy of Todd in Hell's Kitchen


todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I rarely give up

that I didn't give up 5 minutes before the miracle

that the miracle to which I refer is sobriety

for a new recovery blogger, Michael at Gratitude Nugget


Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist but the ability to start over.
-F. Scott Fitzgerald

Moments

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that my friend George S. told us a little bit about his AA story yesterday

for all of you guys who keep coming back, one day at a time

that we actually had some real snow yesterday and throughout the night (maybe an inch), although the temperature wasn't quite cold enough to let it make a giant mess. Snow is a big deal for us here in Houston. The last time it snowed was on Christmas Eve, 2004. Typically, we get a significant snowfall about every 8-10 years.

that I didn't accept that job when the Governor of Illinois called me

Life isn't a matter of milestones, but moments.
-Rose Kennedy

Me? Insane?

My cat MONO.

She was born on the night of my last drunk over 5 years ago.



todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that we had a nice discussion of Step 2 yesterday at the 6:30am meeting

that I didn't give up 5 days before the miracle; that's what I wanted to do

for all the years and all the countries and all the people I was lucky enough to meet and work with in all of those different cultures

that I choose not to air my dirty laundry in this forum mainly because of the friends and acquaintances who read this blog


Tough times never last, tough people do.
-Robert Schuller

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

I'm still powerless

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for the continuing resourcefullness of the human spirit when under trying conditions

for all of the comments from you guys these past couple of days; I loves me blogger buddies

that we've had a cool front blow through town just after a major hurricane. It's lowered temperatures to a very coimfortable level considering we have no air conditioning.

for the 1000's of individuals who have arrived in southeast Texas from other states to help reconnect electricity and provide additional services

that Rodney and I are off to California tomorrow morning for the AA Roundup (convention). I may or may not take my laptop; I'm still undecided.
But considering the phrase below, hmmmmmmmmmmm....


Silent gratitude isn’t much good to anyone.
-Gladys Browyn Stern

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

Hurdles

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

tha the wreckage I may create in my life today is mostly negligible and avoidable but always fixable

for a string of really good days (inside my head) interrupted only by a few hours of slight depression

that it behooves me to not regret the past nor do I wish to shut the door on it; I only need remember those last days of my drinking and that is enough to forever keep me sober in conjuction with the program of A.A.

that I am more flexible than ever, both spiritually, emotionally and physically (well, to tell the truth, I was more flexible physically when I was 18 years old)

Each handicap is like a hurdle in a steeplechase, and when you ride up to it, if you throw your heart over, the horse will go along, too.
-Lawrence Bixby

FRIDAY

Did you ever wish your car had power windows?
Well, now it can ...




todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for Rule # 62 hahahaLOLhahahaLOL
(see Tradition 4)

that today, I shall be the very best person and friend that I can be; I pray for this every day and it amazes me how different it can be each day

that I can think on my own, but be willing to listen to just about everyone

for glasses that are half-full

"No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see the possibilities - always see them, for they’re always there."
-- Norman Vincent Peale

Perseverance

is the principle behind the Tenth Step of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Once I had learned about and put into practice the first nine steps, I was told that Step 10 is one of the "maintenance steps." As long as I remember that I'm not perfect and never will be perfect, step 10 offers me the chance to right my wrongs as they occur. It asks me to do so promptly and not waste time. This requires me to constantly inventory my behavior and never let up. If I let up, my character defects will jump right in and champion themselves. By persevering with my personal inventory, these defects can be kept minimal.

Make sense?

Oh yeah, a great example of perseverance is ...
"Don't give up 5 minutes before the miracle."
This can be true to so many of life's situations.

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that today I can't be perfect, but I can be excellent!

for gratitude meetings

that a newcomer is actually calling me on the phone

that I have Hayden's complete and total support for all things regarding my recovery -- I mention this after reading a few blogs the past several days in which spouses are not always supportive

that the tile guys will complete their work today on the bathroom #1 remodel -- the rest of the week will be the painters turn

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."
-- Theodore Roosevelt

being accountable

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for moderation, in all its forms

that my sponsor's mother is finally in a better place; she died yesterday after a long battle with cancer

for the concept of living amends and the ways I can use it every day, when I choose to do so

that I can catch myself beginning some dangerous thinking and pretty much stop it OR as Barney Fife once said, "Nip it in the bud." This is one way I go into isolation. One errant or bad thought, then my brain takes that and magnifies that thought.

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

hAAlf nAAked thursdAAy

pix from my high school days

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that those who came before me were my predecessors

that I am now finished with all of my Mom's taxes as well as my own -- it's a lot of work - for our CPA (LOL)

that I had the $$$$ to pay all of my taxes

that I am going to record a voiceover for a Lambda Center membership marketing video today for the inimitable Bob S.

that I will never be a nappy-headed Ho

that I could spend 2+ hours in my patio cleaning up and potting new plants in this beautiful weather instead of watching The Astros, who were snowed out in Chicago during the afternoon

Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.
-Michael Jordan