GOD'S THANKSGIVING SURPRISE GIFT

"Going, and almost gone, said he....but WAIT!"

GOD'S THANKSGIVING JOKE
(A SURPRISE GIFT?)

It is not really a joke, but it does show me that God is not above a little humor. Thanksgiving Day we drove to Tampa FL, to have some 'family' time. A daughter and son invited us to share the holiday dinner with them this year. Wonderful! (Well, I guess so...)

At first mention of us going out of town for this Thanksgiving, I felt a knot in my stomach. For twenty-some years I have spent at least part of most holidays at our 24-Hour Club. There I've always been surrounded with a couple hundred 'friends' and we have eaten, laughed, and 'caught up with each others' lives.

And I might miss all that, PLUS a 1PM Speaker, plus maybe an extra AA meeting or two? As it turned out, I did miss all of the above, but it was not a big deal. After all, have I not prayed to my Creator, "to do with me whatever He willed, for ONE REASON ONLY! Only one reason am I asking for help, and that IS that I may show others the great works He has done in *my* life. That I may help others to know of God's Greatness, His Power, His Mercifulness, His LOVE. This shall be the ONLY result of doing His will. My sobriety and changed life come to me from Him only through you people, and other people, maybe even animals, maybe even trees? (And I thank Him, of course!)

Well, you all KNEW there'd be a 'punch line' here somewhere (like the joke: kid digging in pile of horse manure, saying, "There's GOT to be a pony in here somewhere!")

In Tampa we were assembled, for the family celebration, but one person was still missing--a friend's father--who most of us had not met...yet. As I am that kind of guy, yeah!--with another, I got out into the street to wave the fellow in. I could see 'signs' of behavior, that indicated he "might possibly" be 'one of our kind!' And he sat down right near me. Someone mentioned to me that he attended AA meetings. OhhhKaaaay!

This man told me he'd been in AA for about 20 years. Well folks that word "about" tells me something usually...so I quietly asked him "How long you been sober *this* time?" His answer brought out the bumps of geese on my arms: "about Two Weeks." WOW!

So, inwardly I said to my Higher Power, God, "You 'fooled' me! You let me think I should be somewhere else, when RIGHT HERE is where You wanted us to be! Oh, thank You, my God. And so I 'went to work' on (let's call him) John.

John and I got along marvelously for the rest of the day...through dinner, dessert(s), and after. During two football games. People all around us. Doing all kinds of things, being busy. We simply talked the evening away. I felt SO as if I had known this man all my life, and that's the way we both talked. It's almost like a boy and a girl, who 'meet'--across a crowded room, who have eyes for nothing else but each other...well, not QUITE -grin-we're both guys, ya know?

Anyway, we were more or less oblivious to the goings-on around us, as we talked 'recovery' and 'program' and 'Steps', traded war stories, phone numbers, and Email addresses (he lives in St Petersburg). And so, my blogging friends, so ended one more HAPPY THANKSGIVING for me, steveroni. Wish that everyone could have had as filling a day, with turkey...and as *fulfilling* a day with a PIGEON (NOTE: Dr Bob's name, for AA beginner!).

Peace...and Love to you all, from
steveroni

(NOTE: Picture was removed from Internet before I got a chance to copy photographer credit)