SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 14, 2008

With permission, I copied this photo SHADOW published Saturday.
In my "bad place" the following conversation took place between the
feather and the flower:

Feather: "You smell."
Flower: "I know. What can I do about it?"
Feather: "Go to meetings...and DON'T DRINK!
You will die...and STINK"

Steve E. decides to break his anonymity
by publishing a self portrait, taken in Colorado!

THE STORM IS OVER--

TIME TO PICK UP THE PIECES

I heard today: "In AA I got to know the real ME!"

I said to myself: "Noooo...In AA I get to BECOME the real me."

What a day was yesterday! I have learned to 'not go back'. However, It is difficult to turn away my thoughts from the past 24 hours. These hours began with a beautiful "Getting-to-know-you"-type phone conversation with Jenn in Houston, who sounded to be weathering Ike's wrath quite well.

Funny, I felt as if I had known Jenn for a long time--but we've never met, or even spoke before. We do have this common thread in each of our lives--a deadly disease, and a seriousness about a program to recover from it and better our lives. And we make an effort to help others in any way we see fit, that they also may enjoy some of the benefits WE experience. And while we discuss our alcoholism almost daily on-line, I don't believe we even gave it a thought in live conversation. I know we laughed during those few minutes. How wonderful it is! Thank You again, All-Powerful God!

Later, I read on Andrew's Addiction about a "bike-for-sale" ad (with picture of bike, and phone number of owner named Steve--happens to be my name!). L. Made vague reference that it might be that my wife is forcing me to sell the bike. (BTW, that would never happen--or we'd BOTH need lawyers, or maybe paramedics ASAP?) Well, this significance apparently escaped my usual aptness -grin-, until later, when I had to set the record straight (like NOW!) Again, I REVEL in the Email exchanges with my new and true friends in this Blog Community.

A few of us 'bikers' (misnomer, because I ride a scooter, albeit a BIG one!) rode to Ft Myers Beach to a men's meeting, what a FUN trip! I try to go every Saturday. It's the 'ride' and the 'breakfast' after, and oh, yes...of course, almost forgot--the AA MEETING! About 50 men from different towns around two counties attend this Saturday morning event. I have seldom enjoyed 'men's AA meetings' until finding this one.

Then I practiced my violin parts for playing at 7:30 AM mass Sunday morning...I LOVE it! Believe me, when I say I LOVE something (and I say it often here, and everywhere else, too!) it is for REAL!

Attended another AA meeting Sat afternoon, about 50 people, in a discussion out of Big Book, "Chapter To The Wives". That reading has never excited me until today, I decided to pay attention--there's the clue, guys! And, AND--there is SO much AA I found in that chapter today, had never 'seen' it before in all these years. No, I did not "share" my new-found insights--it was not the 'moment'. I'm jes sayin'...

Almost finished here:

Ya know, all of us have been thinking about, and praying for, those friends and their loved ones, living along the Texas east coast, and rightly so. An approaching hurricane, with all its uncertainties, is very stressful for most people.

Just stop though, and think how this terrible, violent storm of nature got us all to focus on others' troubles. I got to pray--or continue praying--for other people. I got to think about--and care for--and wish the BEST of everything for OTHER than "my usual SELF". I got to kneel right here at my computer and say aloud the prayer I was at the same moment writing to someone. Isn't that magnificent? Another item on my 'Gratefulness' List? Definitely!

NOTE: Now that these thoughts are in cyber space, I can "Let Go-Let God".

Have a GREAT sober Sunday everybody!