LIFE LINE

 

LIFELINE

 LIFELINE

My father was sightless from the age of 4-5, and became a mute at age 50.  He was a farmer, who with my mother spent some of their winters visiting us in sunny, warm (Yeah...right--grin!) Naples, FL.

Deaf-Blind Pop just loved, REALLY loved to swim in the Gulf of Mexico.  He could tell by the sun and the breeze which way was the shore--when he swam out to a sandbar.  One time he swam out there, the sun hid itself, and the breeze decided a siesta was a good idea. So he determined which way to swim, and he wrongly chose to swim west, toward Corpus Christi, TX...800 miles across the Gulf.

Someone did swim out there finally...but nobody including himself knew he was "in trouble".  One of my sisters, visiting for a week, bought a 500-foot boat-towing line at a marina, and from that day, Pop was tethered to my mother who sat in a chair on the beach collecting coquina for soup-making.  And so whenever Pop wanted to swim back to shore, he just followed his lifeline.

I make the analogy here of a Peep swimming around in the life of an alcoholic.  There is no way to discover the direction for the shore of sobriety.  It just does never occur to the Alkie, that if he doesn't take that first drink, he will never, NEVER get drunk.  Somehow, an outside force (Higher Power?  God!?) intervenes in any number of human ways/forms. The lifeline of Alcoholics Anonymous is hooked onto his belt at first.  The Steps, which he learns about from a sponsor, become a way of life which he works at following...never perfectly.

Eventually--it happened to me--that lifeline of sobriety in AA became wrapped around his heart, and a love which cannot be expressed in words, grew (slowly in my case).  Only in actions, behaviors, mistakes, amends, a knowledge of self, a willingness to grow along spiritual lines, and helping others to live God's Will, can I show my regard, my respect for, my LOVE of this program which has given me an extra 35 years to live.

Peeps, let us stay sober and help one another today.  Let us please not be spiteful.  But let us in forgiveness, grow in the grace of humility...and SOBRIETY!  Allow me please to lovingly try to understand those who show disagreement with me, and just Let Go and Let God!


Photo in Deviant Art:   life_lines_by_werol.jpg

SUNSHINE ON A STORMY DAY

A STORMY STORY

Thirty-seven years ago I met a Hungarian couple, ages 17-18 who had escaped--after several unsuccessful starts--Communism. They made their way to South America as stowaways on the tramp steamer.  

After two months touring a jungle by canoeing alone down a thousand mile river involving with many, many dangers, adventures and exploits--they found themselves in Miami, Florida. 

On a whim, they rode stolen bicycles the 120 miles across the peninsula to Naples, Florida. And this is where I met Jack and Jill (not their real names). We became friends.  Those were still my drunk days, the final two horrible years.

Jill, age 18, a SO really beautiful young woman, so sweet, so intelligent, became pregnant. Shortly after giving birth, she was riding her bicycle on the side of the Tamiami Trail Highway.  Along came a pickup truck. The right-side rear vision mirror hit her in back of the head, killing her instantly. This left Jack with his baby not yet two months of age.

Last week, 37 years after, I met Jack at a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. What a sight we were now, both sober, both happy, enthusiastic, both friends again well-met.

Jack's Toyota with over 300,000 miles, blew its engine yesterday, now junk. So today I  moved his belongings from his addicted son's (age 36) house, to a place more than an hour away from home.  We had a grand reunion on this day, drank triple espressos at McDonald's (GoooooD!) and shared wonderful memories. It rained heavily all the morning, and was not a good day to move, but we got the job done.  I feel so good, having a new friend, sober six years. And this is probably the first male friend I have had for a long time.

Jack reminded me that I am godfather of his 36-year-old alcoholic son. What memories were stirred today, about the untimely death of his young wife at the hands of a drunk driver, and the many happenings since then in each of our lives.  We shared with each other our very soul-thoughts of today...yes we did! He is a very spiritual guy.

I talked him into beginning a written story of their escapes from Hungary, the imprisonments they both suffered, being caught several times, their final getaway. He cannot write well--so I'll get to edit these histories, stories, and it will be SO much fun, because I am already aware of some of the uniqueness of what he has to tell.

So that is my post for today, I decided to blog it. Jack's story is one of hardship, deathly fear which lingers even today, a pure true love, and experiences so wild--which will raise doubt as to their validity. But I know, and Jack knows.




Blogger Peeps, we are sober today.
We are at peace today.
We LOVE deeply...today!

"HARBOUR BRIDGE" by artist  

Australian artist Robert Bosle

artbytv.com

ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON

I Just LOVE Flowers within Flowers

JUST ANOTHER DAY FOR

ANOTHER SOBER ALCOHOLIC

What a wonderful day!  An early-morning AA meeting, followed by singing in choir at mass.  Choir is getting bigger and better, as peeps from north (snow-birds) are arriving by the thousands.

Next I got to ride my scooter up to a GSR meeting, my first!  In the past, this would have been a trip I might have thought twice before doing.  But after riding to Virginia and back, this was like "around the block" and pure enjoyment.  

It gave me a chance to be alone (that's a benefit of riding!) and pray...and meditate, and simply just love everything which came into my mind today. Also I reflected on the day so far, and if I had committed any transgression or omitted any necessary items in my daily list of stuff.  Have my motives been pure?  Well, NO!  I can report that they have become more-so than ever in my past.

The GSR meeting was boring to me, lots of "much-ado-about-nothing", but I will go back--somebody's gotta do it.  And it IS a nice "ride"!!! And it DID last three (3) hours.  If it were not for the Starbucks coffee on tap, I would have been outta there soon after the "Serenity Prayer". (Not really...)

Then home, supper, a phone chat with a friend, then my regular Sunday night hour in chat room of The Second Road (TSR) 8-9 PM.  I mean, this Sunday began (after 4 hours sleep) at 5 AM and will end at Midnight.  Yesss Baby, I'm looking forward to that bed tonight, "You betchum, Red Ryder!"

Our chat tonight had as it's topic "Gratitude" and I am still in that mode, realizing all the gifts God has granted to me. Example:  Late afternoon, I pulled up next to a monster Motorcycle, a Ninja, or something like that. We were at a long light, so I chatted him up a bit.  Young fellow from Germany. He joined the US Army to gain entry to the United States. He married, built a house, and drives a money truck between banks.

We were sitting there chatting, and out of the blue, I startled myself by asking him, "Are you a friend of Bill W?" And guess what, Peeps!!! He said, "Yes, how did you know that?" Maybe it was a catch word or phrase, I do not know, but we pulled up soon after and talked some about recovery. Also we sped down a country road (Alico Rd) near here, doing easily *** mph, about 161 k/h.   

It is truly a great gift to be allowed to share, care, to be ME, to be at peace, to speak to strangers, to be of help, to love, to pray, meditate, and to be free of alcohol one day at a time.  Come along with me, bring your own special gifts, let us celebrate together, Peeps!

"Steve is Steve", and right now that means something special to me.

Dulce a "sweeter poetry" blogger, has bestowed on several of her male peep followers (of whom I am one--grin!) an award--see side bar right under "The Second Road".  And I truly appreciate thoughtfulness of this sort, it honors me and shows we are supported for what we do, and how we do it.  Thank you Dulce.  Thank you!

ONE MORE TIME

WHAT A BACK YARD!

IN THE MOUNTAINS

Fellow at an AA meeting received his 24-hour white chip Thursday at noon. Friday at noon he went up to get another. Naturally, the group members figured he drank again Thursday night--he told me he has a dozen white chips so far! Well, no, he had not had a thing to drink, he just wanted to get a chip every day for thirty days, so he could at least get "that far along" for once!

When I was asked my thoughts on that, my first temptation was to say, "Absolutely not. Those white chips serve a function in AA, and it is not to fill your pocket with them."

Then I finally did answer that, "You know, if it takes thirty little white poker chips to keep a guy sober for thirty little days--well, let it be so! What harm does it cause AA, or the group, as long as his peeps know what's up. He might just end up with a sponsor and thirty days of a head full of AA."

And so they decided to let him be, with a chip each day--my guess is that he will get tired of "faking it" before a week is out. We are not God. I learn something new every day. And I'm now even more "...willing to grow along spiritual lines." (One of my favorite sets of Big Book "six-word-phrases". Another set-of-six is "We absolutely insist on enjoying life.")

Went square dancing tonight, on top of another mountain, included with a really interesting and thoroughly enjoyable dining experience--country-style! Well, I danced with Anna's sponsee, because Anna has a sore, sore big toe. Complete honesty begs me to divulge that my legs lasted about ten minutes. Is that what age has done to me? Or is it blogging? Hmmm? Well, also I was wearing sandals, not your usual clogging gear.

It is after midnight, and we leave early in morning, so that's it for tonight, Peeps!

DAILY TRIVIA

There are as many molecules in a teaspoonful of water, as there are teaspoonfuls of water in the Atlantic ocean.

SERIOUS MUSIC

Does anyone remember these words to a ditty?
"If the ocean were whiskey and I was a duck,
I'd swim to the bottom and never come up."

Guess you can tell how tired I am. -grin!

Peace, and Love, from
Steve E

A NON-BLOG DAY

A NON-BLOG MESSAGE

Dear blogger Peeps--true friends!

Gotta take a day away... loading up my new laptop with "stuff" --so I can blog during our trip which begins Wednesday morning.

Why do I feel guilty for not blogging this Sunday? There is an old saying which applies here: FIRST THINGS FIRST.

Meetings this morning, later, an AA group is having a breakfast in a big park with a lake and a man-made beach. Also a speaker at that breakfast meeting. A meeting later in evening, and somehow, I feel overwhelmed with obligations, all to which I have obligated myself. Hmmmmm. And all my AA life, my favorite motto has been EASY DOES IT. And I look at me this morning and say, "Do you think you are so important that they will miss your brilliant crapola?

I truly love all you bloggers and will meet a few of you on Friday in Illinois. This is the first time ever that I'm glad to be leaving my home, my Naples FL,
I am excited about "living". Ya know what I mean???

Please pray for me sometime during this week. I don't know why, I just know I'm going to need that extra help.

The only blog I got to read this morning was Mary Christine's FIFTH YEAR in AA which happened about 20 years ago. What a memory! What good writing. Go there, it is inspiring stuff.

Again. Peace and Love, from
Steve E

(HEY! I guess I did write a sort of blog here. Hurray!) I LOVE life!