WAITING ONE HOUR

BUMPER STICKER COURTESY OF (Click) SCOTT W. ON REAR OF MY BIKE IT LOOKS LOT BETTER THAN PHOTOS. SCOTT W, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!

ONE TWENTY-FOURTH OF YESTERDAY

Yesterday I had some time to wait for a 'happening'. There is plenty to do, but, being a full-fledged blogger by now, you all know where I sat my behind!

And I realized this past week was so busy for me that some of your blog entries got missed. So I spent one hour clicking back through the past few days to catch up. I commented on a few oldies, and as I'm reading your out-of-this-world beautiful stuff (AND the comments), I began to cry--right out of the blue (lips, and all!). I realized how important 'comments' are, to the overall blogging experience! How you all are here to help one another, either directly, or by simply and wonderfully reporting how you are living sober, One-Day-At-A-Time.

These tears--yes they're still flowing--are of gratitude. I'm once again overwhelmed with gratefulness for your blogs, for my having found you peeps last summer. I'm thankful for my personal growth which is a result of many events, one of which being God's grace as it appears daily on my monitor, beginning early in the mornings.

My days begin with Pammie, Mary Christine, dAAve, Linda, Vicarious Rising, Shadow, Mary LA, Syd, Gabi, Kristin, AnnieK, Tyra, Banana Girl, PG, Hope, Atiyanna, Tracey, Jim, Ed, Jessie, Sara, Patty, Lou, Mark, Clean and Sober, Scott, Bill, Scott W., MILE 191, Just Be Real, SponsorPants, Socha, Sochie and many others, who are right here on my computer desk nearly every morning. I'm talking morning, like 4:30-5:30 AM, guys. What a group.

I'd probably not even get out of bed if it were not to check who has recently blogged and/or commented. Ya know what? I think I'm SICK--addicted to what messages you Peeps have for me/us each day. After meeting some of you face-to-face at an annual BBQ mid-June 2009 at Annie's home (near St Louis), I figure I'll become somewhat cured. (I remind myself of a guy who switches from Scotch to beer, to cure himself of alcoholism!)

I'm trying to discover a point for this blog entry. Guess it is a statement that I yam here to stay, and stay here I yam. Seriously, I've never found an AA 'home' in which the residents are more trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, cheerful, clean and irreverently humorous. You bloggers, Alanon and AA, so freely give of yourselves, what was freely given to you. And I have been often the recipient. How can that ever be repaid? ONLY by service of some kind.

Sure, I pretend to know stuff, but whatever I have, was given to me. Whatever I write, I heard or read somewhere in our literature. If something is amiss, it is because I let my own brain insert itself into where it did not belong. Progress, not perfection: how many times have I used that line as an excuse, instead of as simple truism.

I may not always and forever work this program as I ought. But make no mistake; I LOVE our Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. I LOVE our whole AA program, the first 164 pages in every edition of our beautiful Big Book. I LOVE my God Who gave us this program, using two real alcoholics, really hopeless drunks, to show us that He can write straight, using a crooked pen. I LOVE Service work. I LOVE AA meetings. I LOVE you peeps, my most favorite people in the world, and I've not met a single one of you. I LOVE my family, and my wife. And I LOVE life! And I am just SO GRATEFUL! Thank you, all for reading my heart, the contents of my very soul.

I must read again Anthony De Mello's meditations on THE WAYS TO LOVE. Maybe every day, like Jessie! De Mello helps to keep me straight.

In LOVE and Service,
Sincerely.
Steve E.