November 30, 2025 - Into Action

 My sponsor told me that step one would identify the problem - a lack of power. Step two would offer me a solution to my problem - Power. In step three I would get the opportunity to make up my mind, do I want to continue on the path to destruction or do I want to live in the solution? Once I decided to stay here, it would be necessary to take the steps that would apply the solution to the problem, the program of action. Here I am, 28 years sober, still launching into action.

November 29, 2025 - Surrender

 I blogged a bit just now about the weather and how we are unable to control what the weather around here will be life. We have to accept the hand we are dealt, to surrender to what it will be, to accept life on life's terms. My word today was surrender.

November 28, 2025 - Service

 Service. On November 28, 2012, me and a few other like-minded persons, started a non-profit. That's actually the day it was incorporated. The purpose of the non profit was to perform service within our community, which we performed well over the next 12 years. It always reminds me that service work is not only done in the fellowship nor is it always done in church, it is often performed out there, in the world. We are presented with opportunities to give a little something back to the community that we took so much from when we were drinking.

November 27, 2025 - Tolerance

 Tolerance never gets old with me. Part of the slogan live and let live. Allowing others the right to think, believe and act as they see fit, even if what they think is not what I think, and even if what they believe is not what I believe, and even if what they do is not what I would do.

November 26, 2025 - Expectations

 Expectations is the word today. As was said to me in a conversation today, expectations is a tricky one. I responded that the best way is not to have expectations, but that it is often hard not to have them. So yes, it's tricky.

November 25, 2025 - Let Go Let God

 Let Go Let God. I have been getting these same few words....Trust. Surrender. Let Go Let God...repeatedly over the past few days. Some people have commented on that. I tell them all the same thing. We get the lessons until we learn them. The celebration for my 28 years of sobriety is tonight at my home group. Will it go well? will certain people that I have invited be there? I can always make plans but I cannot plan the outcome. In some instances I just need to surrender and trust the process. My higher power knows what is best for me.

November 24, 2025 - Trust

 Trust is the word, again. It was only a few days ago I picked that word. But you know what they say. You get the lesson until you learn it. I should trust that God knows what he's doing.

November 23, 2025 Open minded

 In 7 days, I will have been clean and sober for 28 years. I had to become and to remain open-minded about  the concept of choosing a power greater than myself that helped me solve my problem.

November 22, 2025 - Daily Inventory

 Daily Inventory. Couple things that stick out. The first word of that reminds me how frequently I should be doing it. Daily. An inventory is a report of what I had to begin with, what I have used and what I have left. I'm pretty sure that it's my inventory they're talking about, not yours.

November 21, 2025 Let Go Let God

 Let Go Let God is a slogan that reminds me there are some things in my life over which I do not have control, things which I need to leave the outcome of up to God.

November 20, 2025 - Trust

 Trust is the word today. Trust is difficult for a lot of people. I tell people that I trust God and I let him decide who else is to be trusted. God hasn't let me down yet. I might have let Him down a few times but I'm working on it.

November 19, 2025 - Hope

Hope is the word for today. When we tell our stories, we share our experience, what we have done when we were shut off from the sunlight of the spirit, our strength which is our faith in a power greater than ourselves, and our hope, that a brighter future awaits us in sobriety.

November 18, 2025 Live and let live.

 Live and Let Live. I usually focus more on the let live part of thar slogan, when the live part is equally as important. I ought to try and "live" my life by the principled actions I have chosen and to enjoy life as much as possible.

November 17, 2025 Help Others

 Trust God, Clean House, Help Others. A popular slogan with us. Interesting, how there is a passage in the book Alcoholics Anonymous, on page 98. .....a man can get well regardless of anyone. The only condition is that he trust god and clean house. Did I mention that this quote is from the chapter Working With Others?

November 16, 2025 Willingness

 Word today is willingness. I am willing to be where God wants me to be today and to do what He would have me do. Most good ideas are simple.

November 15, 2025 Selfishness

 Selfishness is the word today. In my program of principled action, I am encouraged to watch out for selfishness, among other defects that I have. They do that because they know I will sometimes be selfish and sometimes it's okay to be selfish. It's only when my selfishness impedes on others that I need to be careful.

November 14, 2025 - Surrender

 The word today is surrender. 28 years ago today, it was snowing. I had planned to go to the friday night meeting at Club 24, but because of the weather I stayed home. As a result, the following day while I was on a train starting my journey to Wyoming, I had a relapse. Not going to that meeting probably wasn't the reason I relapsed but it was definitely a contributing factor. Today, I surrender to the realization that I am powerless over alcohol and that continuing to practice this program I'm involved in will insure my immunity to alcohol.

November 13, 2025

 Pride. Pride can be beneficial when it is a feeling of high self-esteem but when we start thinking we are smarter or better than others because of our accomplishments or when we place our own desires ahead of others and we use pride to justify our actions.

November 12, 2025

 On November 30, 1997, I decided to try not drinking for one day. One day turned into a week, the week became a month, that month became 12 months, a year without drinking, the year became a decade, the decade became a quarter of a century and this month it will be 28 years. Today it is 10,209 days. one day at a time. I don't count each day. There's an app for that.

November 11, 2025

 Gossip. I try not to listen to it and I try not to spread it, but it is easy to slip into it if I am trying to express my concern about someone or let someone else know that so and so is doing okay. But, I should be careful not to condone benign gossip or I might start to condone malignant gossip.

November 10, 2025 - Keep It Simple

 Keeping it simple today. Did my readings. Picked my word for today which obviously was Keep It Simple. Shared my word with all the people I share it with and then some. Meeting a sponcee at 10. I should have my breakfast.

November 9, 2025 Unity

 Unity is my word today. I am endeavoring to maintain unity in the fellowships I belong to by trying to keep the traditions alive within them.

November 8, 2025 - Acceptance

 I don't know how much more can be written about acceptance. Napoleon is reported to have said Accept things as they are, not as you wish them to be. And Virgil said, "Perhaps someday it will be pleasant to remember even this."  So, the concept of acceptance has been around for centuries. Go figure.

November 7, 2025 Help Others

 Help Others is what I got from the god box today. I was reminded of the slogan....Trust God, clean house, help others. I was also reminded of the phrase when all else fails, drag a drunk (to a meeting). Carrying the message to others encourages us to lose interest in selfish things and to gain interest in others. When I concentrate on them and on their problems, I tend to focus less on me and my problems. Most good ideas are simple.

November 6, 2025 - Willingness

 Willingness. Key to Step Three which I will be going over today with someone I sponsor. Even in Step Two, it says do I now believe or am I even willing to believe, so willingness is where it starts.

November 5, 2025 Gratitude

 I've been told that gratitude is not always a noun, it is also a verb. A wise man once said, if you want to show people your gratitude, find the person in the room with the least amount of sobriety and explain to that person everything that God has done for you that you could not do for yourself.

November 4, 2025 - Amends

Amends is not about saying we are sorry. It is about setting the matter straight before we screwed it all up. 

November 3, 2025 - Keep It Simple

 Keep It Simple.  The simplest way for me to look at it is I am alcoholic. I am powerless over alcohol.

November 2, 2025 - Fear

 Fear. I had a little of that this morning. I have a committee meeting for the roundup and I'm a little concerned about an issue we are having. I do know that in the past I have lived on self-reliance and that worked with most things. These days I rely on God to handle the things I am unable to, so I ask God in my morning prayer to remove my fear of the outcome of the meeting and we'll see how that goes.

November 1, 2025

 Gratitude is my word today. It is definitely an active word. Saying I'm grateful is nice, but showing my gratitude is better.