Pittsburgh PA
I have only been to Pittsburgh one time that I recall, and that was in a blizzard.
Now I am there over the 4th of July, which is a really big deal what with their 250th birthday and all.
I don't know if this is a really really friendly town, or if the infusion of 10,000 or so program people attending the Al-Anon International makes the whole place kind of friendly.
My wife and I ran into a couple from MT last night on the street, she knew her from meetings in Great Falls, I knew them both from growing up there. Small world.
Well, gotta get moving. Keep on stepping.
Good to be back in the mid week
I spent the weekend teaching a motorcycle class, so I had no chance at meetings. Went to my early morning one this morning, good meeting. I chair tomorrow, as well as open up and make coffee. Hmmm, maybe Service Work as a topic?
I'll have to pray on that, don't want my ego and pride to come into play.
Maybe serenity, that's what I enjoy these days.
"Gotcha" Day
dAAve said that this term needs some clarificaiton.
I don't think my daughter coined the term, because it appears to be in use by many. But what she uses it for, is to designate the day that she "got" her daughter. In this case, June 26th 2007 was the day they "got" their daughter in China.
So my sweet grandaughter (seen here stuffing her face with smores) was gotcha just a year ago.
Thusday morning gratitude.
Today I am grateful for:
- Thursday step meetings.
- The Traditions
- 8 fellow alcoholics who met me at Gilpin County HALT on Sunday night
- Fall River Group in Estes Park
- Finding and fixing the propane leak in the RV (Recovery Van)
- Both 1 year and 19 years of sobriety at the meeting this morning
- My mom is getting some interest in her house
- Getting to spend some time in service yesterday
- Being able to celebrate "Gotcha" Day
- Being able to celebrate my son-in-law's birthday
- Being able to celebrate my daughter's birthday
- Knowing that it's just another day in Paradise
Sunday Morning
We are taking off for a few days to "shake out the bugs" in the RV. Just going up to the foothills, but will have our grandaughter up for Smores... ;-)
Haven't made the early morning meeting in a couple of days, but will get to a nooner before we leave town, and hope to go tonight in one of the small mountain towns. I always enjoy those meetings.
Today I am kind of pensive.
Thinking about life and that ever elusive "Serene and Useful Existance" that is written about in the 12 and 12, step 12.
The third step prayer says it all. I'm glad my home group closes with it.
Another Day in Paradise
One of the names on the Yellow banana used to say that.
He was right. Any day that I can let God direct me is a day in Paradise.
What the heck is the yellow banana?
We have for a long time had a tradition of bananas at the early morning meeting. Apparently, one time a few years ago, my sponsor complained that the bananas were green. Someone said, well just keep coming back till they ripen up. Shortly after that, Banana Jim brought in a banana stand and a bunch of green plastic bananas. It got to be that if you wanted to keep coming back, you wrote your name on the green bananas, and promised to keep coming back till they ripened.
This past year, we had quite a few members who passed away, and it struck me that they no longer have to wait for the bananas to ripen, so I got a yellow one, and we wrote their names on it.
It's a good reminder that this is a lifelong program.
Tuesday Big Book Study
Got myself up and atem this morning and went to the Tuesday Big Book Study. Glad I did, as usual.
We read about 6 pages of "More about Alcoholism".
Good stuff and good shares. We are an insane lot, and I fit right in.
Glad I don't have to live that way anymore. Today I can repair the back deck, without a beer or the the thought of getting blasted this afternoon as soon as I finish. Thank God.
