June 9th, 2026 - Not my circus, not my monkeys.

My thought for today is, "Not my circus," which is taken from the phrase, "Not my circus, not my monkeys." I just learned that it comes from a Polish proverb. I can't speak Polish, so I'm not going to try. It's for those situations you find that are chaotic, dramatic, or entirely messed up, and not my business anyway. It's a great reminder that I don't need to manage clowns that I didn't hire. When Tradition 10 talks about outside issues, this is a good phrase to keep in mind. Minding my own business is a good idea all of the time. It gets me in less trouble. 

June 8, 2026. Acceptance.

My thought for today is acceptance. Acceptance does not mean surrender, and being powerless does not mean being helpless. It is a fierce and grounded acknowledgment of things exactly as they are in the present moment—not as we wish they were, not as they used to be, and not as we hope they might become. To accept a situation, a person, or a reality doesn’t mean you agree with it or that you choose to leave it unchanged forever. It simply means you stop fighting the reality of what is right now. Fighting the fact that it is raining won't make the sun come out. Acceptance encourages us to look for our umbrella. There are certain things in life that we simply cannot control - the effects of alcoholism, the weather, rush hour traffic. We are powerless over these things, but we can change our attitudes, how we react to these things and whether or not we will allow these things to control us.

June 7th, 2026 - Anonymity

My thought for today is anonymity. Lately, this also includes social media on the internet. If I make a post, say on Facebook, claiming that I have been sober in Alcoholics Anonymous X number of years, and somebody clicks "like" or makes a comment on that post, then they are also implying to everyone who may be watching that they are also in Alcoholics Anonymous. It is okay for me to break my own personal anonymity, but to break, or to encourage others to break, their anonymity is a violation of Tradition 11. So I need to be cautious how I approach situations like this. Newcomers to the program need to be reassured that their privacy will be protected. It is acceptable if I make posts on social media that say I am in recovery, and not to say which program I'm actually in. That way, if I were to have a relapse, then you would not be able to conclude that the program of Alcoholics Anonymous does not work. Assuming, of course, that the program of Alcoholics Anonymous was the one that I was in. 

June 6th, 2026 - Willingness.

My thought for today is willingness. To have willingness does not mean I am able to fix my entire life or to be entirely free from fear. It simply means, "I am willing to be led." As the big book reminds me, if I am willing to go to any lengths, then I am ready to take certain steps. It also says in a later step, "When ready, I say something like this, My creator, I am now willing." This evening, I'm speaking at a meeting in Truro. When I opened my eyes this morning, I was willing to go to Truro, but I was a long way from being ready. So the trick would be getting ready. The beauty of a one-day-at-a-time program is that I don't have to sign my life over right from the start. All I have to do is surrender for one day. 

June 5, 2026 - Patience

My thought for today is Patience. I just got this word a few days ago. I guess it's true that we get the lessons until we learn them. I asked myself is there something specific that I need to have patience about? I do have a job in front of me, painting my deck. That's a big job and I find myself wishing it was already done. But, thinking back to previous times, it doesn't really take that long to do. It's probably the worrying about this chore that causes me more stress than the actual doing of it and if I use some of the slogans like First Things First and Easy Does It, But Do It, then it might be easier. Maybe I ought to stop looking at it as a chore and have gratitude that I have a deck to paint in the first place. 

June 4, 2026 - But For the Grace of God

My thought for today is But For The Grace of God. There are moments when I look at my life and realize how thin the line really was. How close I came to losing myself, of never finding the path that brought me here. When I say “But for the Grace of God,” I’m not reciting a slogan — I’m acknowledging a truth that humbles me.

But for the Grace of God, I could have been swallowed by the things I once thought I controlled. But for the Grace of God, I might have stayed stuck in old patterns, old fears, old ways of coping. But for the Grace of God, I wouldn’t have the people I have today, or the clarity I’ve been given, or the chance to try again.

Grace doesn’t erase the past; it reframes it. Grace doesn’t make me special; it makes me grateful. Grace doesn’t lift me above anyone; it places me right beside them.

Today I use this as a reminder that my life is not self‑made. I’ve been carried, guided, nudged, protected, and redirected more times than I can count. And the only honest response to that is gratitude — the kind that softens the heart and steadies the steps.

I don’t know what tomorrow brings. But for the Grace of God, I know I don’t walk into it alone.

June 3, 2026 - Love

My thought for today is Love. It comes in many forms and has been described in many ways. It’s the decision to show up when you’re tired, to listen when you’d rather argue, and to hold space for someone else’s flaws because you know they’re holding space for yours. It’s built in the quiet, unglamorous moments: making a cup of coffee just the way they like it, staying accountable when you’ve messed up, or simply being the person who stays when things get heavy.  Loving deeply means risking the pain of loss, but we do it anyway because the alternative - living a life closed off - is far heavier to bear. It is the ultimate act of service, transforming our own lives and, hopefully, making the world a little softer for the people around us. One of the most beautiful things I have seen is the look in an addict's eyes when they realize that they are no longer alone.

June 02, 2026 - Help Others

My thought for today is Help Others.When I think about that, I think of sponsorship, of carrying the message of hope to other alcoholics. I do that mostly by being present, by sharing my own experience. Most people don’t need fixing. They need someone who listens without rushing to solve. Our presence is often the medicine. Later this week, I am speaking at an out-of-town group. I have told my story hundreds of times over the past three decades, so over time it has become polished and I have to always be aware that the polished version of my story doesn't help the newcomer as much as honest candor.

Helping others isn't always happen through sponsorship. I also take some of the skills I have learned and use them to help out persons in need. I knit blankets and scarves for people in transition from one crisis or another. From addiction or homelessness or abuse or mental illness. It isn't so much the physical gift as it is the act of giving. Letting people know that someone out there gives a damn goes a long way toward fostering well-being.

June 01, 2026 - Unmanageable

My thought for today is unmanageable. I had never noticed that there was such a word until I came into recovery and read the twelve steps. The first step says "We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable." Overwhelming and out of control are synonyms for unmanageable. My life was definitely that. My drinking was out of control to the point where I had no job, no place to live, no friends, my family wasn't speaking to me. That was the external unmanageability. There was also internal unmanageability such as my powerlessness over alcohol, wanting to stop but unable to do so. Recovery for me was not possible until I first admitted and accepted that my current way of living, thinking, and managing my existence was no longer working.

May 31, 2026 - Patience

My thought for today is patience. Patience is rarely about waiting; it's how we behave while we are waiting. It requires us to trust the process, sit with discomfort, and accept that some things simply refuse to be rushed. Little Johnny told his teacher he was having trouble with math, so she gave him more math homework. I expressed to my higher power that I was having trouble with patience. So, God sent me some people to sponsor and I am beginning to learn firsthand what patience actually can be. Patience can be peaceful or it can be frustrating; I prefer peaceful.

May 30, 2026 - Service

My thought for today is Service. I try to do what is required of me as far as that goes. An old friend of mine is celebrating a milestone today so I am going and I baked cookies so that I can show my gratitude.  I have learned that when I am asked to do service, I should agree to it if it is within my power to do it. When I asked for help, there were hands there ready for me. So, I return the favor. I try to do service in my community as well, making good use of the second chance that God has given me.

May 29, 2026 - Sponsorship

My thought for today is sponsorship. In AA, sponsorship is a voluntary, informal relationship where an experienced member who has made progress in the recovery program guides a newer member through the Twelve Steps. On page 96 of the big book it mentions a new member who contacts an older member and says he is ready to go through with the twelve steps of recovery. "Having had the experience yourself [of doing the steps], you can give him much practical advice." So, that's my job, as a sponsor. Going through the twelve steps can be a new and frightening experience, but in the end a rewarding and enlightening undertaking. One of the things I like about sponsorship is that it gives me the opportunity to re-visit the twelve steps, the twelve traditions, and the twelve concepts again and again and again. In Al-anon I learned two invaluable suggestions about a sponsor. Get one and be one.

May 28, 2026 - Tolerance

My thought for today is Tolerance. Webster's dictionary defines tolerance as the readiness to allow others to think, believe and act as they see fit. It does not say I have to like what they do nor even agree that it is proper. I try to live my life by certain principles. As long as what they believe in or what they are doing is not harming myself or others, then I should accept that their principles are just different than mine. I do not need to change external events nor control other people in order to maintain my own peace. As the big book reminds me, love and tolerance of others is our code. 

May 27, 2026 - Easy Does It.....But Do It

My thought for today is Easy Does It.....But do it. I should avoid trying to do everything today, but as the second half of that slogan says, I should not refrain from doing anything at all. I don't have to build the whole wall today; I just need to lay one brick. What is the brick I need to worry about today?

May 26, 2026 - Attitude

My thought for today is Attitude. In physics, attitude is about orientation. The direction an aircraft is facing in relation to the hoizon is called its attitude. In day to day life, the direction I am facing toward a problem or situation in my life is based on my attitude. If my attitude is one of fear or anxiety about the problem or situation, my attitude will be off balance and negative, but if I have an attitude of gratitude, my approach will be more balanced and positive. One thing to remember about our attitude, it is entirely within our control, even when absolutely nothing else is.

May 25, 2026 - Service

My thought for today is being of service. To me, it is an invaluable and integral part of who I am today. Service, for me, is done within the fellowship and outside of it as well, in my community or in my home. When I was still working, I would try to practice the principle of service at my workplace. I often tell people I have been sober since November of 1997 and I have been doing service in that fellowship since November of 1997. Although service is important to me, so also is balance. I cannot be available at every moment so choosing when and how I show up allows me to bring my full presence to those moments that matter the most.

May 24, 2026 - Step Ten

My thought for today is Step 10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it. We continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, anger and fear. I remember when I did my personal inventory - Step 4 - back in 1998, that those four defects were the common thread I found in all my dealings with all the people in my life. Even now, after 28 years of living happy, joyous, and free, that I need to be watchful of those things and when I am wrong, not if I am wrong but when I am wrong, I need to admit my mistake and deal with it accordingly.

May 23, 2026 - Powerless

My thought for today is Powerless. Without a doubt, I am powerless, over alcohol, over drugs, over people, places and things. I have not had a drink in 10,401 days, but if I took a drink today the phenomenom of craving would still happen and I would be unable to resist the compulsion to drink and would not be able to predict the outcome of what would happen, except that I know it would not be good. Luckily, I have a higher power to which I can turn to if ever the thought came to me that I have been sober long enough so that wouldn't happen. In fact, anytime I think a drink would fix any problem I have, I just compare the last 24 hours of my drinking to the last 24 hours and the last 24 hours wins every time. Thy will not mine.

May 22, 2026 - Working With Others

My thought for today is Working With Others and the best way for me to do that is through sponsorship. I was able to progress through the twelve steps through the guidance of my sponsor, or at times, the guidance of my sponsors. I have also been a sponsor to many and I have learned things about that type of relationship. One, I am not always right. What works for one person does not always work for everybody. Also, I can  show you what I have done, but I cannot do it for you. I can show you the path, but I cannot walk it for you.

May 21, 2026 - Fear

My thought for today is Fear. When I was newly sober and was doing my steps, I remember listing and analyzing my fears. In the end, I  realized that the main reason I had them was because reliance solely upon myself wasn't working anymore, so I put my trust in God to remove my fears. Lately, I have developed a fear of aging and that is understandable because I AM getting old. Again, I put the outcome in God's hands and remember that I do not have to do everything today and I do not have to worry about what the future will bring. I need not predict the whole future; I need only navigate through today, through this morning for that matter.

May 20, 2025 - But for the Grace of God

My thought for today is But For The grace of God. Today is my birthday so I would have liked to pull gratitude from my God Box but one of the reasons its called a God Box is I don't get to choose what the thought is. Almost three decades ago, I put my life in the hands of God as I understood God and every day since then I have been reminded that the outcome of each day is not up to me. I am sober and alive today by the grace, or favor, of God. And I know that the Grace of God is not something I earn because I do good things, the same as the Grace of God is not withheld from me because of things I don't do. It is simply a gift given to me.

May 19, 2026 - Depression

My thought for today is Depression. I do not suffer from clinical depression or as it is referred to in medical terms as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). I have experienced mild forms of depression such as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). If it has been cloudy or raining for a week or two and we lose interest in doing things or wish to just stay in bed all day. That is when I need to force myself to get up, get out of my bed, wash the dishes, go for a walk. It usually snaps me out of the funk. If only MDD were as easily remedied, but it is a complex mood disorder that goes far beyond feeling sad or having a bad day. It is a persistent, pervasive condition that alters how a person thinks, feels, and handles daily activities. Generally, a bout of MDD can last about two weeks and can significantly disrupt daily activities. In some cases, it can lead to suicide. It is not something to take lightly.

May 18, 2026 - Selfishness.

My thought for today is selfishness. A true definition of selfishness is not just the act of looking after oneself, but also the disregard or contempt that the self-focus has on others. The tenth step in the 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous encourages us to be on the lookout for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear because it is one of the four primary defects of character that most of us are afflicted with. Selfishness is the belief that you are the only real person in the room, and everyone else is merely an extra in your movie. Not a healthy way to look at life and one that will likely lead us back to the bottle which for us ultimately means our undoing.

May 17, 2026 - No Matter How Far Down the Scale We Have Gone.......

My thought for today is one of the Promises. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. When shame and regret are transformed into utility and purpose, when we begin to see that those parts of our life we wanted to hide or erase become our most valued assets.When I lower my mask, it encourages others to lower theirs. It can be comforting to hear someone else say, "I did that and this is what I did about it."

May 16, 2026 - Serenity Prayer

My thought for today is the Serenity Prayer. Three words come to mind when I say the prayer. Acceptance, Willingness and Faith. First, I must accept things that I cannot change. I have no control over the weather, rush hour traffic, and certainly not the moods of people around me. I must have willingness or courage as the prayer says to change anything it is within my power to change and that would be me and my attitudes. And lastly, I will need faith in my higher power to show me the difference between those two things.

May 15, 2026 - Complacency

My thought for today is Complacency. It is not a conscious choice to stop doing something; it is often a slow feeling that I have done enough, that what I did yesterday is enough for today and will be enough for tomorrow. In AA, we call complacency "resting on our laurels". A common thought is that a slip happens long before I take a drink. I start believing that since everything is okay now, then the problem is solved and I ease up on my program. I start thinking that I've gone to plenty of meetings and that I shouldn't need to keep going every day. I stop meeting with or calling up my sponsor and I stop hanging around with or having conversations with other sober members. I start easing God out and before I know it, I'm in detox trying to figure out what went wrong. I was at a meeting last night and a longtimer came in looking for a speaker for the noon meeting today. My first thought was I do enough, let someone else do it. My next thought was this is what they mean by resting on my laurels. So, I made a call and I'm the speaker today. I don't know if that will prevent me from ever having a slip but it will prevent me from having one today.

May 14, 2026 - Powerless

My thought for today is Powerless. Simply put, it is a lack of power. In the big book it says "lack of power - that was our dilemma". If my problem is that I have a lack of power, that I am powerless, the obvious solution is Power. I can  find that Power by taking a few simple steps. If I have a headache and a bottle of tylenol, what should I do. Maybe take some tylenol. If I have alcoholism and someone says here, take these steps, maybe I should take that medicine too.

May 13, 2026 - Hope

My thought for today is Hope. It is often defined as a feeling that a better outcome is possible, even when the data suggests otherwise. The Czech playwright who became a president, Vaclav Havel, said that "hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out." When I arrived at the doors of AA, in 1997, a shred of hope was all I had left. Everything else was gone and all that remained was a hope that if I did what they told me to do, that things would get better. And things did get better. We are told that we share our experience, what has happened to us in the past, our strength, what is going on now in the present, and our hope, that what worked for me might also work for you.

May 12, 2026 - Open Minded

My thought for today is Open Minded. To be open minded in a spiritual sense, involves having the humility to accept that a life doesn't have to be "complete" to be meaningful. When you remain teachable, you essentially stop viewing yourself as a finished product and start viewing yourself as a continual work-in-progress. Being teachable means looking at the same slogans or words you’ve read a hundred times and asking, "What do I need to hear from this today?" When I write, I need to be willing to allow the work to evolve in whatever direction it takes even if it is not one I thought it would be. Life is also like that.

May 11, 2026 - Help Others

My thought for today is Help Others. One of the best ways I can do that is through sponsorship in AA. I know that "nothing will so much ensure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics." I also know that "no matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others." The mere fact that I am also an alcoholic and can therefore understand as perhaps few others can, will be very beneficial. Sometimes, just listening without interrupting can make a world of difference to someone who is still suffering from the disease of alcoholism. There are other ways to help too, but by far, listening is the best way.

May 10, 2026 - Sobriety First

My thought for today is Sobriety First. It's a choice and a necessary one. It's about priorities. And it's about remembering that when life gets busy as it often does, not to place other things in front of my sobriety. I remember when Nancy and I first got together, I told her if she ever got between me and my program there would be a fight and she would lose. The Big Book reminds us that we had to place recovery above all else because without recovery, we would lose everything else anyway. Most good ideas are simple.

May 9, 2026 - Step Seven

My thought for today is Step Seven: Humbly asked Him to remove my shortcomings. It is one of the action steps. In Step 4, I learn what my character defects - or shortcomings - are. In Step 5, I confess those faults to God and to another person. In Step 6, I become ready to have God remove those shortcomings and in Step 7, I ask Him to do that. It is in the way I ask that I begin to learn about humility. I learn that although I am responsible for my actions, that I do not have control over my deepest character flaws. Asking humbly suggests that I put an end to my ego's demand to be perfect in all things. My actions are what I do. My shortcomings are the gaps in my character, which some may see as sins - pride, fear, envy, greed, lust, etc. - that drive those actions. Although I would prefer to have those shortcomings instantly removed, I am reminded in Twelve Steps Twelve Traditions that God will remove those shortcomings that He could or would based on the conditions of the day I ask.

May 8, 2026 - Procrastination

My thought for today is Procrastination. The art of productive stalling. Doing everything you can think of except the one thing you're supposed to be doing. Procrastination has sometimes been called a five-syllable word for sloth, one of the seven deadly sins, and sloth is really just another way of staying lazy. Easy Does It....But Do It is a good reminder to not take on more things than I can handle, but it is also a good reminder not to avoid doing what needs to be done.  

May 7, 2026 - Expectations

My thought for today is Expectations. An expectation is a strong belief that something will happen or that it may be the case in the future. In relationships, we often expect others to "just know" what we need. Shifting from expecting to requesting is a hallmark of healthy communication. In the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, we are reminded "that my serenity is inversely proportional to my expectations." If my expectations are high, my serenity level is low. In another context I have heard it said that an expectation is a premeditated resentment. Where boundaries are concerned, we expect people to treat us a certain way and of course we don't tell them what that way is, they should know. But they, being human, are fallible and they fail to meet our expectations and this disappoints us. Because they were not aware of the expectation then they do not realize that they have let us down, so they do not apologize and we become resentful toward them. To increase our level of serenity, we ought to better communicate what our expectations are or not to have any in the first place.

May 6, 2026 - Let It Begin With Me

My thought for today is Let It Begin With Me. It shifts my focus from waiting for the world to change to taking the first step myself.  In the book How Al-Anon Works, it says "When we feel a need to change a situation, we can apply this slogan, and start with what we can change." Even in the serenity prayer, we are taught to accept things we cannot change, but also to have the courage to change things we can. Change often starts with individual kindness. We can begin by reaching out to welcome a new person to the neighbourhood or to a meeting, or by being the one who apologizes first in a heated argument. In all situations, it is my thought or action which can begin the process, hence the wording of the slogan. 

May 5, 2026 - Sobriety First

My thought for today is sobriety first. In the early days of AA, Dr. Silkworth said a SLIP was when Sobriety Lost Its Priority. For me, sobriety needs to be my top priority. I remember telling my wife almost thirty years ago that sobriety was the most important thing in my life and that if she ever tried to get in between me and my program that there would be a fight and she would lose. My sobriety comes before everything else because without my sobriety I would eventually lose everything else anyway. Sobriety doesn't guarantee everything will be perfect, but losing it almost guarantees that everything else will eventually be compromised. Putting sobriety first allows me to show up for others, to be present.

May 4, 2026 - Love

My thought for today is Love. The ancient Greeks believed that love was not just one emotion, but that there was more than one type of Love. Eros was passionate romantic love. Philia was a loyal friendship. Storge was love from parents to children and agape was love of God. Different writers through the ages have expressed their thoughts on love. John O'Donohue, in his book Anam Cara which means soul friend, says that love is an act of ancient recognition and that it is two parts of the same soul finding each other. Father Martin says love is not so much two people gazing into each other's eyes as it is two people gazing in the same direction. The psychologist Erich Fromm wrote in The Art of Loving, love isn't just something you fall into; it is a skill that requires care, responsibility, respect, and knowledge. It is the daily practice of supporting someone else's growth as much as your own. The rock band Foreigner have a classic ballad I Wanna Know What Love Is. If you really wanna know what love is, pay attention to my wife and I, or people like us, and watch it in action.

May 3, 2026 - Trust

My thought for today is Trust. Trust is defined as a firm belief in the character, ability, or truth of someone or something, often involving vulnerability. A slogan that I have found helpful is trust god, clean house, help others. The slogan reminds me of the three relationships I have. My relationship with God, my relationship with myself, and the relationships I build with those around me. My sole aim is to be helpful to others, but I need to be sure my own house is in order before I attempt to help others and prior to doing my own moral and spiritual reorganizing, then I ought to place trust in God as I understand God. Most good ideas are simple.

May 2, 2026 - Self-restraint

My thought for today is self-restraint. The dictionary defines self-restraint as the disciplined ability to govern your impulses, desires, and emotions so that your actions align with your values rather than with your urges. Controlling our impulses so that they do not control us. In plain language, self-restraint is the muscle that keeps me from doing things I will later regret. In Proverbs 25:28, a person without self-restraint is compared to a city with broken walls - vulnerable and easily invaded. As with most things, the practice of self-restraint takes practice, and now is as good a time as any to begin the practice of self-restraint.

May 1, 2026 - Boundaries

My thought for today is Boundaries. Boundaries are defined as the lines we create to protect what is ours, our dignity, our values, our time, our serenity. Boundaries are different from walls. Walls are usually fixed in place; boundaries can be raised or lowered depending on our level of perceived safety. If it costs my serenity, then it is too expensive. Boundaries in a relationship can keep both of us healthy. They can help lower our expectations of each other and thereby avoid resentments.

April 30, 2026 - Complacency

My thought for today is Complacency. It is defined as the state of self-satisfaction or belief that I can stay spiritually safe without staying spiritually connected. It usually goes hand in hand with pride. I tell myself that I don't need to do this anymore because I am okay now, the crisis is over. It might be morning prayer and meditation or going to meetings and staying connected with others in recovery. The best antidotes for complacency are humility and gratitude. Humility is the realization that I still need to be teachable and gratitude helps me to be thankful for the lessons I learn.

April 29, 2026 - Attitude

My thought for today is Attitude. It is defined as the stance we take toward reality, the lens we look through before we react, before we speak, before we choose. I do not always choose the emotions I feel, but I can choose the stance I take toward them. Willingness creates the door, attitude decides what walks through it. Before my feet hit the floor each morning, I try to have a positive attitude. By the evening, I try to remember three things I was grateful for today because with an attitude of gratitude, I can rarely go wrong. And as the big book reminds me, on page 417, "I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes."

April 28, 2026 - Think Think Think

My thought today is the slogan Think Think Think. Think about the truth, think about the consequences, and think about my program. In the book Twelve Steps Twelve Traditions we are reminded that little good comes to any alcoholic until he [or she] has first accepted his devastating weakness [being powerless over alcohol] and all its consequences [the unmanageability in his life because of his actions. So, we must always think about that. And, if I think about the spiritual program that I am in, and principles such as humility and gratitude, I will find ways to circumvent any foolish behavior or action that I might take in moments of weakness.

April 27, 2026 - Pride

My thought for today is Pride. Pride can be a good thing or a bad thing. When pride goes from a feeling of self-respect to a feeling of self-importance, it goes from being healthy to becoming unhealthy.It is one thing to feel satisfaction for achievements I experience to believing I am better than everyone else because of those achievements. Pride creates forgetfulness of God as the source of the gifts we receive and leads us to think our blessings are self-manufactured. Simply, pride is the distance I place between myself and God.

April 26, 2026 - Denial

My thought for today is Denial. It is defined as a protective shield we put up to hide the truth so that we can go on drinking or drugging or gambling or continuing in whatever behavior we are involved with that keeps making our life unmanageable. To face the truth means confronting the consequences and the possibility of change. So, we lie about the reality of the situation. We do it so effortlessly that it becomes habit. A popular acronym of mine is that I Don't Even Notice I Am Lying. Sometimes, a crack appears in the wall of our denial and the sunlight of willingness can make the crack bigger and over time the denial slips away.

April 25, 2026 - serenity prayer

My thought for today is the serenity prayer. It is a simple prayer in its short form. In the beginning of my recovery from alcoholism, it is the only prayer I knew. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. I wasn't sure back then who or what God was, but I said the serenity prayer because everyone else I knew who was sober was saying that prayer and I wanted to be like them, to be sober, so I said the prayer. Nowadays, when my wife and I are in a meeting and they do the prayer, when it talks about things we cannot change, we point to each other, because we know that we cannot change other people. When it says courage to accept the things we can change, we point to ourselves because really the only person I can change is myself, and through daily prayer and meditation, God teaches me how to discern the difference between the two. Much of my peace today depends on how I sort the piles of what I can and cannot change.

April 24, 2026 - Judging or Not Judging Others

My thought for today was Tradition Three which states that the only requirement for membership [in AA] is a desire to stop drinking. The only requirement. So, it doesn't matter what color car I drive, what color I am, who I voted for, what pronoun I use to identify myself with, whether or not I have legal complications, what my living arrangements are. None of that stuff allows me nor prevents me from joining up. I just need a desire to stop drinking. I don't even have to stop right away; I just need to want to stop. Grace let me in through the door; humility keeps the door open for others. I don't decide who belongs, love does.

April 23, 2026 - God as you understand Him

My thought for today is God as you understand Him. When Ebby was talking to the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous way back in 1935, he said, in reference to the teachings of the Oxford Groups of that time, "You choose your own conception of God." So, you don't have to pretend to believe in something you don't, you believe in something that you are comfortable with. In my beginnings of belief in God, I did not have much of a conception of who or what God was. I knew it wasn't me. That was a good start. Over time, I established a relationship with God. I had what William James the psychologist referred to as the educational type of a spiritual awakening. My concept of God grew into the understanding of God that I now have which isn't much different than the conventional God of my upbringing. What you choose to believe, that's up to you. That's why they say God as you understand God. It doesn't need to make sense to me just as what I believe in doesn't need to make sense to you. The important part is that I do believe.

April 22, 2026 - Gratitude

My thought for today is Gratitude. Gratitude is defined as a feeling of thankfulness for kindness received whether the kindness is intentional or not. It is the honest recognition that the good in my life is not self-generated, it is a gift and I am aware of the giver. I remember those days before God was in my life. Whenever I was feeling thankful I didn't know who to thank, so I just thanked myself. I see now that was just ego-feeding which ultimately got me nowhere. I know who to thank now. One thought I always express is that gratitude is not about having everything I want; it is about wanting everything I have. So, to God and to all of you, I give my thanks.

April 21, 2026 - Intimacy

My thought for today is Intimacy. Intimacy is defined as the courage to let yourself be known and the humility to let someone else matter. Into me see. Intimacy is not only about sex or romance. There is spiritual intimacy or the intimacy that is shared through sponsorship. It is two people meeting in an honest relationship where one walks the path and the other keeps the path clear. As the big book reminds us, "Both you and the new man [or woman] must walk day by day in the path of spiritual progress."

April 20, 2026 - But for the Grace of God

My thought for today is But For The Grace of God. The grace of God, to me, is the favor of God but it is not something I earn by being good or that I don't receive by being imperfect. It is a gift that is given to me by God. It is a levelling of the field that reminds me I am no better and no less than anyone else. I could have been lost, angry, drunk, resentful, or gone. But I’m here. I could just as easily be the man who relapses, but by the grace of God I am not. The promises remind me that I will realize that God is doing for me what I could not do for myself.

April 19, 2026 - Acceptance

My thought for today is Acceptance. Acceptance is defined as seeing things as they are, not as I wish, fear, or demand them to be, and choosing the next right thought or action from that point of clarity. As the Big Book reminds me, "When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing, or situation - some fact of my life - unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being exactly as it is supposed to be at this moment." Once we make the shift from resistance to willingness, we can begin to practice humility and acceptance.

April 18, 2026 - Self Esteem

My thought for today is self-esteem. Self-esteem is not pride and it's not self-pity, it's the middle ground in between those extremes. It's reminding myself that I'm worth showing up for. In my morning routine, of prayer and meditation, I try to do that. First, I ask for help from my higher power whom I often refer to as God. Then, instead of rushing blindly into the chaos, I do a few readings from books I find helpful, then I ask God to have a care for people I know who are still struggling whether with addiction or with family illness, and finally for help getting through my day. My routine helps to center me so that I will be of better use to God and to my fellows. If working with others, I will try to use experiences from my past to help those I sponsor. As the Big Book reminds me, "we will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it." In all my affairs I will remember that I am good enough.

April 17, 2026 - Self-Pity

My thought for today is self-pity. It is not a good state of mind to be in. I am careful not to confuse it with healthy sadness such as grief or loss or disappointment. Today is my younger sister's birthday. Or rather, it would be. She passed away several years ago, so yes I experience loss. But, that is to be expected. Acknowledging loss makes us more human. Self-pity is when we turn the loss into something that God or life has done to us personally. Self-pity can bring about resentment and victimhood to which for someone like me there is only one solution, to numb myself. To avoid self-pity or to get out of it once I fall into that hole, I can use gratitude or service to others, or connection. It is difficult to feel negative thoughts when I am feeling grateful for those things that I do have, or when I am attempting to help someone else who may be having the same problems today. 

April 16, 2026 - Listen to Learn

My thought for today is Listen To Learn. It's about remaining teachable. When I talk with a newcomer, if I listen to what they are saying, I will learn how to help them better with whatever they are going through. By listening to their fears, their anger, or their shreds of hope that they might be able to do these twelve steps, I will learn not only about them, but also about me and ultimately, as Bill W said to Doctor Bob all those years ago, I'm not here for you, I'm here for me. I just listen to what they have to say. By extending my hand to them, I am allowing myself the gift of sobriety.

April 15, 2026 - Pride

My thought for today is pride. It is the first and probably the worst of the seven deadly sins. If the word sin bothers you, it is likely because of pride. Sin implies a need to ask for help whereas pride tells me I do not need help, not from my fellow man and certainly not from God, if in fact there is one. If I call something a mistake, then it is something I can correct; if I call it a sin, then I need help with it, usually divine help. Pride wants me to be special. Even in doing service, I must be careful not to let pride sneak in, to convince me that nobody else can do this as good as I do, or more subtly, I'm doing this because no one else wants to. The big book reminds me that selfishness and self-centeredness (pride) is the root of my trouble. It goes on to say we must get rid of this or it kills us. I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to die yet so I'll ask for help.

April 14, 2026 - Denial

My thought for today is Denial. Denial is seeing things as you need to see them in order to keep drinking or drugging or doing whatever it is that is making your life unmanageable. When denial becomes intertwined with self-pity, it is even more dangerous. The two are linked to self-centeredness. The quickest way out of denial and self-pity is by doing service because service helps us to forget self and once we begin to do that, we no longer feel the poor me mentality. Once we begin to question the lies we have been telling ourselves, a crack forms in our denial. That crack is where willingness enters. Once we begin to realize that I can't, but He can, then we become willing to stop believing the lie, we become willing to let Him show us how much better our lives can be. It's all connected; the trick is finding the dots.

April 13, 2026 - Keep It Simple

My thought for today is Keep It Simple. Complication is usually brought on because pride is at work in subtle ways and whenever pride is there, we need to use humility to uncomplicate things. Where pride says I don't really need to ask for help, I can do this by myself, humility comes to our aid by reminding us that we don't have to run the whole show by ourselves, there are others who will be glad to help. Using this slogan reminds me to keep things basic. Don't build a house if all you need is something to sit on. Don't rewrite the steps - just do them.

April 12, 2026 - Self-pity

My thought for today is self-pity. A subtle state of being that sneaks in upon us and can become dangerous if left unchecked. Self-pity can be the doorway to old isolating thoughts which, in turn, lead to old bad behaviours. Self-pity is pride turned inward. Pride keeps us from asking for help, self-pity convinces us that getting help wouldn't matter anyway. Gratitude, being of service to others, staying connected with others and remaining active can help us to defeat self-pity before it defeats us.

April 11, 2026 - Willingness

My thought for today is willingness. The one thing strong enough to break pride's grip on ourselves. Willingness helps us take the next step even if it is uncomfortable. It is where we stop fighting and choose instead to cooperate. As the big book reminds us, willingness, together with honesty and openmindedness is indispensable. It is essential. It also says when we are willing to go to any length, then we are ready.

April 10, 2026 - Envy

My thought for today is Envy. It is the pain we feel when someone else has something we desire. It can be a reminder to return our gaze to our own path and not to focus on things others have that we don't. The Big Book says on page 559, " We are taught to differentiate between our wants (which are never satisfied) and our needs (which are always provided for)." Envy often blinds us to our own gifts. It erodes gratitude and reinforces the fear that we are not enough. Gratitude can be found through wanting everything we have, not wanting everything they have.

April 9, 2026 - Think Think Think

My thought for today is think, Think, THINK. I read a passage in Living Sober not long ago that said, "simply postponing that first drink.....provides us with a chance to think about our drinking history, to think about the disease of alcoholism, and to think about the probable results of starting to drink." Alcoholism is a condition that distorts thinking before we even take a drink. So we try to think about the next right action, to think about the consequences, to think of our program tools before reacting. It is helpful to play the tape in our head through, to think, think, think before we act, act, act.

April 8, 2026 - Open minded

My thought for today is to be open minded. The big book suggests on page 47, "Do not let any prejudice you may have against spiritual terms deter you from honestly asking what they mean to you." Prejudice stems from fear. One of the opposites of fear is open mindedness. So, be not afraid. Be still and know that I am with you is from another big book.

April 7, 2026 - No matter how far down

My thought for today is no matter how far down which is part of the promise that no matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. We don't have to drive the garbage truck all the way to the dump or we can go all the way there. The big book reminds us that our stories disclose in a general way what we used to be like, what happened, and what we are like now. So just tell them what you have done.day is No matter how far down which is part of the promise that No matter how far down we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. We don't have to drive the garbage truck all the way to the dump or we can go all the way there. The big book reminds us that our stories disclose in a general way what we used to be like, what happened, and what we are like now. So just tell them what you have done.

April 6, 2026 - Greed and Lust

My thought today was Greed and Lust. I admit that it threw me off. I initially saw them as bad things but upon reflection they are misdirected love. Man often loves things in the wrong way or with the wrong intensity. In scripture, sin is seen as good desires bent out of shape. Greed and Lust share the lie that God will not give us what we want, we must take it ourselves. Augustine believed that the cure for greed and for lust was to reorder our affection away from our own desire and more toward God's desire. Food for thought.

April 5, 2026 - Keep it simple

My thought today is Keep it Simple. One way to do that is to not manage the other person's emotions and to avoid expectations of them. And, to be honest, to say what I mean and to mean what I say. Have a great day!

April 4, 2026 - Humility

My thought for today is humility. Service without spectacle, the difference between doing good and being seen doing good. Pride may block the doorway to progress; humility opens it. Humility is not thinking less of ourselves, it is thinking of ourselves less.

April 3, 2026 - Pride

My thought for today is Pride. The first of the Seven Deadly Sins. The dictionary says it is the inward turning of the soul toward itself, a refusal to receive life, truth, and identity from God. I will define myself. I will be my own measure. I will not be taught. Pride will not allow us to see ourselves as we really are. As the big book reminds us, "To conclude that others were wrong was as far as most of us ever got."

April 2, 2026 - Self-Restraint

My thought for today is self-restraint. In the book Twelve Steps Twelve Traditions, it says, on page 91, "When we speak or act            hastily or rashly, the ability to be fair minded and tolerant evaporates on the spot. One unkind tirade or one willful snap judgement can ruin our relation with another person for a whole day, or maybe a whole year. Nothing pays off like restraint of tongue or pen. We must avoid quick-tempered criticism and furious, power-driven argument.....we can neither think nor act to good purpose until the habit of self-restraint has become automatic."

And again, also on page 91, "In all these situations we need self-restraint, an honest analysis of what is involved, a willingness to admit when the fault is ours, and an equal willingness to forgive when the fault is elewhere."

I rest my case.

April 1, 2026 - One day at a time

My thought for today is one day at a time. In the song it says "show me the stairway I have to climb. Lord for my sake, teach me to take one day at a time." The big book reminds me, on page 559, "we cast off the burdens of the past and the anxieties of the future, as we begin to live in the present, one day at a time."

March 31, 2026 - God as I understand Him

My thought for today is God as I understand him. The big book reminds me on page 29, "Each individual, in the personal stories, describes in his own language, and from his own point of view, the way he established his relationship with God. Not all of us believe in the same God. Not everyone removes their hat when praying. I try to forgive them for they know not what they do but maybe their God does not require them to be respectful.

March 30, 2026 - God could and would

My thought for today is the third pertinent idea in how it works. God could and would if He were sought. In the Bible somewhere it says "Seek ye the kingdom of heaven and all else will follow. It doesn't say find ye the kingdom, it just says to look for it. In the big book on page 60 it says God could and would if He were sought. It doesn't say you have to find God or be God, it just says to look, to seek.

March 29, 2026 - Keep It Simple

My thought today is to keep it simple. Say only what needs to be said, do only what moves things forward, and let go of the rest.

March 28, 2026 - But for the grace of God

But for the grace of God, a reminder that I am sober today only because of the grace or favor of the God of my understanding. Teach me to walk as one who has been spared, to see in every stranger a mirror of my own unsteady steps, my own need for kindness.

March 27, 2026 - Powerless

My word today is powerless. I remind myself each day that I am powerless not only over alcohol but over the people places and things in my life and that I will need help getting through today. I ask the god of my understanding for that help. The book twelve steps twelve traditions tells me "that little good comes to any alcoholic who joins AA unless he has first accepted his devastating weakness and all its consequences. " The big book tells me that "lack of power that was our dilemma. We had to find a power by which we could live and it had to be a power greater than ourselves." Most good ideas are simple.

March 26, 2026 - Self seeking

My word today is self-seeking. The dictionary says it is the habit of pursuing one's own advantage, benefit or desires without regard for the needs, well being or perspectives of others. But, not all attention to oneself is self seeking. Self care and the placing of boundaries is healthy, it is when people become tools for achieving your goals or the other person's dignity becomes secondary to yours that it becomes problematic. Working the twelve steps can help us achieve humility in this area. The big book reminds us in the step nine promises that "self seeking will slip away." And "that we will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows."

March 25, 2026 - Sobriety First

The thought I received today was Sobriety First. Not only when it's convenient but all the time. Dr. Silkworth said a relapse is inevitable when Sobriety Loses Its Priority. SLIP. The big book reminds us on page 143 "We all had to place recovery above everything, for without recovery we would have lost both home and business." So, if I have something to do, I do it before the meeting or after the meeting, but not instead of the meeting. I don't know when the next storm will come.

March 24, 2026 - Complacency

My word for today is complacency. A quiet drifting away to a place where we feel "good enough", where we feel we don't need to do the things that we do need to do, believing things will stay fine because they've always been fine. It erodes our purpose, one unexamined day at a time. As the big book says on page 85, "we are not cured of alcoholism." We must always practice wakefulness in our relationships with ourselves, with God, and with others. We must guard against drifting away.

March 23, 2026 - Self-Esteem

Self-esteem. A combination of self-respect, self-trust, a realistic knowledge of your strengths and your limits and a willingness to treat yourself with the same dignity you give others. It's not something you have, it's something you practice.

March 22, 2026 - Communication

Today's word is communication. Reminds me of a slogan I often hear. Say what you mean, mean what you say, and don't say it mean. It's about letting our words be an honest extension of who we are and not a mask we put on for the moment. Our actions should match our words.

March 21, 2026 - Intimacy

My word today is intimacy. It usually means closeness, to the point of revealing one's vulnerability without one feeling vulnerable. Relationships that have intimacy are places where we can grow, heal, and become more fully ourselves. Spiritual intimacy can exist with or without religion and can be where two people share themselves in a way that transcends physical closeness.

March 20, 2026 - Willingness

Willingness is the word today. It is the first movement toward God before belief is fully formed. Willingness grows when we practice willingness. The book twelve steps and twelve traditions reminds us, in the discussion on step three, that the rest of the steps can be a success once we give step three a determined and persistent trial and willingness is the key.

March 19, 2026 - Honesty

Honesty with others, whether with family, with friends, or with strangers, can reveal who we are and what our boundaries are. People often claim they want honesty but what they really want, in relationships, is transparency, to know what is going on beneath the surface. It's not just telling the truth. It's making the truth visible.

March 18, 2026 - Pride

My word today is Pride, the soil in which all sins take root. Pride is the turning of the self inward, it is man trying to operate as if he were God. The book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions reminds us that pride, together with fear, are stumbling blocks to progress. Pride says we don't have to look, fear says we better not look.

March 17, 2026 - By The Grace of God

In christian theology, grace is defined as the freely given favor of God. It is not so much a reward as it is God acting out of love. Interesting that today is Saint Patrick's Day which some say is a reminder of God's grace working through unlikely people.

March 16, 2026 - Listen to Learn

Many of my friends say the same thing when I say Listen to Learn. They say Learn to Listen. They are both good slogans to keep in mind. 

March 15, 2026 - How important is it

How Important is It. Will it be important next week, next month, next year, or even tomorrow? If not, then it shouldn't be too important today either.

March 14, 2026 - Love.

 Love is my word today which is a coincidence because we are doing a project today called Blankets of Love. We make blankets for the homeless or people in similar situations which shows me that love comes in different ways. We can show God's love to anyone.

March 13, 2026 - Open Minded

 I read somewhere once that I should be open-minded in regards to spiritual concepts, that I should not let any prejudice I may have against spiritual terms deter me from honestly asking myself what they mean to me.

March 12, 2026 - First Things First

First things first reminds me to remind myself daily that I am powerless over my addictions, and that I am powerless over people places and things and I might need a little help from God to get through the day in one piece. Interesting that the days I do that almost always turn out better than the days I don't.

March 11, 2026 - Keep It Simple

I haven't had a drink in over 28 years but I'm still powerless over alcohol and over the behavior of others and even though I might not take a drink today, my life can still be unmanageable, so I still need help getting through the day. How simpler can a thought be.

March 9, 2026 - Forgiveness

 Forgiveness is my word today. I was reminded of a pearl of wisdom a longtimer said to me. What I come here looking for, I must come here looking with because it is by forgiving others that we ourselves are forgiven. Ths second half of that statement is from the Prayer of Saint Francis, one that I use a lot.

March 8, 2026 - Pride

 Pride is said to be one of the chief stumbling blocks to progress. It's right up there with fear. True pride, in our accomplishments, is a good thing, but when it prevents us from doing things because we feel we don't need to then it becomes false pride.

March 7, 2026 - Depression

My word today is Depression. I'm not depressed but depression is something that many alcoholics have. I suppose I have suffered from that negative emotion at times but with the help of my higher power and use of the key of willingness I have been able to overcome it.

March 6, 2026 - Love

In 17 days, it will be 28 years since my wife and I shared our first kiss. But, Father Martin said that love was not so much 2 people gazing into each other's eyes as it was 2 people gazing in the same direction. 

March 5, 2026 - Denial

 My word today is Denial. I might be in denial about the weather. It's March now and I want it to be spring. But, the reality is there is still snow on the ground and the temperature is still below zero, so spring might be a ways off yet.

March 4, 2026 - Anonymity

Today's word is interesting. Anonymity. I'm in an anonymous fellowship. Does mentioning that break my anonymity? I suppose that since I didn't mention which fellowship it is, then my anonymity is intact. If I make a post about being in that fellowship, and you are also in it and you click like or make a comment, then I have encouraged you to break your anonymity also, so I need to be careful about doing that. I'm not perfect. I make mistakes. 

March 3, 2026 - Live and let Live

It would be nice if everyone always did what I thought they should do and supported only those causes that I agreed with. But, people are different and I need to understand that and allow others the dignity and respect of being who they are. So, I live my life my way and allow them to live their lives their way.

February 27, 2026 - Selfishness

Selfishness. It is said that it is the root of my troubles. So, if I nip it in the bud as they say and get rid of selfishness, then It logically follows that I won't have the troubles I usually do. Looks good on paper.

February 26, 2026 - Gossip

 The word today is Gossip. The question is have I heard any or spread any? Because listening to gossip is just as bad as spreading gossip.

February 25, 2026 - Sponsorship

I have learned two things about being a sponsor. Get one and be one.

February 24, 2026 - Boundaries

 Boundaries are not the same as walls. Boundaries can be lowered or raised depending on the situation.

February 23, 2026 - Love

 Love is the word again. Yesterday, I experienced love from the folks who participated in the annual memorial of my stepdaughter.

February 22, 2026 - Pride

 It's okay to take pride in my accomplishments, but when my pride takes over and makes me unwilling to admit mistakes or defects, then it becomes a bad thing. If I am too proud to ask for help, it creates distance in my relationship with others and eventually with God.

February 21, 2026 - Patience

 Patience. I always say the same thing about that. Little Johnny told his teacher he was having difficulty with math so his teacher gave him more math homework. I told my higher power I was having difficulty with patience so he sent me people to sponsor......

February 20, 2026 - Listen to Learn

 I always say Listen to Learn OR Learn to Listen. It reminds me that I don't always have the answers and that I should listen to what others are saying, whether they are young or old, because they might have the wisdom I am looking for that day. that way, I remain teachable.

February 19, 2026 - Depression

Sometimes, after a week of cloudy, rainy or snowy days I can feel the greyness around me and that can be depressing. It's times like that when I need to get up, get moving, do something productive and remember to be grateful for things I have and even to be grateful for things I don't have, one of which might be depression.

February 18, 2026 - Humility

 Humility is not thinking less of ourselves; it's thinking of ourselves less.

February 17, 2026 - Responsibility

 When I was still drinking and drugging, I was unable to take responsibility for anything. Now that I am clean and sober, I take responsibility for everything I am able to. Sometimes, I get carried away and take responsibility for things that are not mine to carry so I have to stop and check myself and ask is this my business or does it belong to someone else.

February 16, 2026 - How Important is it

 This slogan always mkes me think of the things in my life which ARE important and how I should be grateful for certain blessings in my life. It also makes me think about those little things that seem important at first, but when I ask myself if this is something I'll need to worry about next week or next month or next year, then I realize well no its not really that important after all.

February 15, 2026 - Expectations

 Expectations. The district committee meeting is this afternoon. I hope it goes well and we get everything taken care of that we plan to do, but I'm careful not to expect it will go this way or that. It will go the way it goes.

February 14, 2026 - First Things First

 A gentleman from my home group says, The days that I pray almost always turn out better than the days I don't. So I try to begin the day with prayer and meditation.

February 13, 2026

 Surrender. That's when I throw my hands up to my higher power and give up the fight. I acknowledge that He is running the show, driving the bus, leading the way.

February 12, 2026 - Insanity

 Insanity can be defined as knowing what to do and not doing it or knowing what not to do and doing it anyway.

February 11, 2026 - A repeat

 I shook the god box up good and still I got the same word as yesterday. But For the Grace of God. I have heard it said that we get the lesson until we learn it, so maybe that's the case here. Maybe I haven't figured that out yet.

February 10, 2026 - But for the Grace of God

 It's a bit chilly today. I can be grateful I'm not sleeping outside and the reason I'm not is due in large part to the grace (or favour) of the God of my understanding. Can't say it much simpler than that.

February 9, 2026 - Listen to Learn

 The slogan I got today was Listen to Learn but it can be switched around to Learn to Listen. Both are good things to keep in mind. It is by listening that I hear what needs to be heard and can hopefully learn from it and if I'm not hearing what I need to hear it might be because I need to learn more about listening.

February 8, 2026 - Gratitude

 We were at a celebration of life for a fallen comrade and a fellow was relating a story of how they met. He was setting up the chairs for the meeting which was a large meeting. Our friend was sitting down talking about how grateful he was to be sober. The guy setting up the chairs said, "Stop talking about how grateful you are and show me. Help me with the chairs!" Gratitude is of course an action word.

February 7, 2026 - Love

 Today is a celebration of life for a guy I had known for over 20 years. I was his caseworker, his sponsor, his friend.  I am glad he is at rest now and maybe I'll see him again someday when it's my time to go.

February 6, 2026 - How Important Is It

 All my words this week are connected it seems. Fear vs faith. Pride. Ego-deflation. and now How Important is it. I read the Guidelines for Amonymity on the Internet. I do take pride in being sober as long as I have been but I don't need to publicize the fact that I am in order to remain sober so there is a bit of ego-deflation taking place. It's okay for me to reveal my membership in private conversations but anytime it's in a public forum such as facebook or the X, then I should steer clear of mentioning my involvement because if I do make a comment that I'm in AA and you click like or make a positive comment on the post, you might inadvertently break your anonymity also.

February 5, 2026 - Ego-Deflation

Two things alcoholics don't like. When things change and when things stay the same. Ego-deflation is just another way of saying humility. I need to lose interest in selfish things and to gain interest in my fellows. It isn't all about me anymore. Like letting the air out of a balloon.

February 4, 2026 - Fear vs Faith

 Both fear and faith are feelings of uncertainty. Fear is a feeling of the unknown. Faith is not knowing, but trusting that if I do the footwork, I can leave the results to my higher power. - Al-Anon - A Little Time For Myself.

February 3, 2026 - Pride

Pride is a gateway sin because it leads to other sins such as envy (I deserve what they have), wrath (how dare they disrespect me), greed (I’m entitled to more).

February 2, 2026 - Willing to go to any length

 Whenever I am sponsoring someone and we get to the eighth step, I always draw attention to the line in our big book that says. Remember it was agreed at the beginning that we would go to any lengths for victory over alcohol. In step one they said oh yes of course I will go to any length and then in step eight they say Oh I can't do that. Wrong answer.

February 1, 2026 - Acceptance

 There are three acts of faith; assent, acceptance, and assurance. - John Flavel, author.

January 31, 2026 - Unity

 Unity is the word today. There are a few good quotes in one of today's daily readings about that. It talks about ego-deflation and setting aside our need to take credit for our recovery and to the need to promote ourselves. We are after all parts of a greater whole and when we lose sight of that, then our egos take control and we are right back where we started.

January 30, 2026 - live and let live

 When I was drinking and drugging, I did not live by principles. I did what I wanted, where I wanted, and how I wanted. Now that I am sober, I try to live by the principles I learned from doing the twelve steps. Humility, tolerance, kindness, anonymity, etc. That is how I "live". I realize that not everyone has principles. Some people are like I was in my before recovery time. I try to respect how they live. So that is how I "let live". I remember when I used to think I knew how everyone should live, now I only concern myself with how I should live.

January 29, 2026 - Willingness

 It’s about being open—open to trying, open to being wrong, open to changing, open to taking the next step even when the outcome isn’t guaranteed. People think willingness requires fearlessness. It doesn’t. Willingness is what you do with fear, not instead of it. - Quotes from AI

January 28, 2026 - Gratitude

 Gratitude is the word today. We have been without hot water for 4 or 5 days. It's true that you don't know how much you need or depend upon something until it's been taken from you. I was all set to go buy a heat gun or hair dryer and get down on my knees and try to warm up the pipes, and then we woke up this morning and they are already unfrozen. Now, we can shower, shave, wash dishes, wash our hands, whatever we would use hot water for. Go ahead, ask me if I'm grateful.

January 27, 2026 - But for the Grace of God

 One of the guys I sponsor is in the ICU ward of a hospital because he thought  he could take a drink and nothing bad would happen to him. My word today is the slogan But For The Grace of God and it is so appropriate because even though I have been sober 10, 285 days, I only have a daily reprieve, one day at a time, contingent on the maintenance of my spiritual condition. Basically, I am sober by the grace of God and as long as I do what I'm supposed to do then I will stay sober, but if I drift away from going to meetings, or talking AND listening to my sponsor, or from asking God for daily guidance, then I might start thinking its okay for me to pick up a drink and that nothing bad will happen to me. But for the grace of God, right.

January 26, 2026 - Patience

 It snowed last night. It was light snow, a lot easier to shovel than that wet heavy crap we had last week. I took my time anyway, tried to exercise patience, took lots of breaks and it only took about 20 minutes. i suppose I could have rushed through it, had a heart attack and I'd probably be sitting on a gurney at Emerg. Much better to sit here in my own home, listening to Billie Holliday.

January 25, 2026 - Denial

 Denial can be the way the mind protects itself from something overwhelming, painful, or destabilizing. Or it may just be a refusal to admit that something is the way it is.

January 24, 2026 - Love

 AI says Love is such a small word for something that behaves like weather, architecture, and chemistry all at once. It can feel like a force that rearranges the furniture in your mind, or like a quiet warmth that simply refuses to leave. John O'Donohue in his book Anam Cara which means Soul Friend says that love is attention without judgement. Father Martin, a catholic priest who was also an alcoholic said that love was not so much two people gazing in each other's eyes as it was two people gazing in the same direction. Foreigner wrote a song I Wanna Know What Love Is. If you really want to know, then get to know 2 people in love and watch what they do.

January 23, 2026 - Easy Does It But Do It

Easy Does It But Do It. "A reminder that gentleness isn’t the opposite of action. You can move forward without forcing anything. You can take responsibility without white‑knuckling. You can show up without burning out." - unknown

January 22, 2026 - Acceptance

 Acceptance. Epictetus said "He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has."

January 21, 2026 - Hope

 Hope. The quiet pressure that keeps people moving even when nothing around them is giving them a reason to. Sometimes, it’s just the decision to try again tomorrow. That's a pretty good definition of hope.

January 20, 2026 - Amends

 The thing for me to remember about my eighth step list is that the step reminds me to make a list of ALL the persons I had harmed, not just a list of the people who knew I had harmed them, but all the persons I had harmed. Everyone.Living dead. In my life. Not in my life anymore. Deciding who to actually make amends to is the ninth step. For now, I just make a list of the people I have harmed.

January 19, 2026 - Boundaries

 The word today was Boundaries. Little lines we draw that we don't want people to step over. It's a good practice to let people know what they are, because they are not mind readers.

January 18, 2026 - Anonymity

 Anonymity is my word today. I have never been very good at protecting my own personal anonymity. I can keep your membership a secret but not my own. Way I figure it, I have never been concerned with who saw me staggering home drunk and disorderly, why should I be concerned that people know I joined AA.

January 17, 2026 - one day at a time

 All I can worry about is today so, as someone said to me today, I should make the best of this one day.

January 16, 2026 - Trust

 In the big book in the chapter working with others, it says burn the idea into the consciousness of every man that he can get well regardless of anyone. The only condition is that he trust in God and clean house. The slogan gradually became trust God, clean house, help others.

Jan. 15, 2026 - Sponsorship

Sponsorship. There are only 2 things I know about a sponsor. You ought to have one and you ought to be one.  

January 14, 2026 - Gratitude

 People are saying you're awake early. I'm retired. I get up when I want. I'm supposed to meet with someone early today and I wanted to make sure I had everything done, cause I got that morning thing I do every day. The word I picked today is Gratitude and it's appropriate. I'm grateful I'm not lying in a hospital bed because I foolishly thought I had one more run in me. I'm grateful I'm not sleeping in a tent somewhere. I'm grateful for the man who sponsored me three decades ago. I'm grateful for the men and women I sponsor now. The list goes on and on. Gratitude isn't just a noun; it's also a verb. My current sponsor always says don't tell me, show me. That's why when my sponcee said she wanted to meet early today I said no problem I'll be there. Because I'm grateful.

January 13, 2026 - Live and Let Live

 Live and Let Live. The thing for me to remember about this is the first word. Live. Other people may have different ways of looking at things or of doing things and I do need to accept that. but I also should continue to look at things and to do things according to the way I do them regardless of what other people do.

January 12, 2026 - Acceptance

 Acceptance often means recognizing your own limitations, and choosing to move forward without denial of them.

January 11, 2026 - Amends

 I can say I'm sorry and ask for forgiveness, or I can set right the wrong.

January 10, 2026 - Forgiveness

 Forgiveness can help us lose the resentment that binds us to feelings of hurt.

January 9, 2026 - Acceptance

 Laying awake at 5 am, I could have denied getting out of bed or I could just accept that fact that I will be waking up early.

January 8, 2026 - Action

 Three frogs are sitting on a fence. One frog makes a decision to jump off the fence. How many frogs are left? Still three, because making a decision to do something and actually doing it are not the same thing.

January 7, 2026 - Trust

 Trust. A deceptively simple word that carries enormous weight. Self-trust is often overlooked. A  belief in your own judgment, resilience, and ability to handle uncertainty.

January 6, 2025 - Easy Does It, But Do It

 Easy does it.....but do it. The first part of that is a well known slogan, reminds me to not take on too many chores. the second part reminds me not to use it as an excuse to do nothing.

January 5, 2026 - Boundaries

 Boundaries are the limits I set to protect me and my emotional well being. I can say no to commitments that would personally drain me which can cause me to have resentments and lead to burnout. Boundaries I place on myself are a lot like expectations I place on others. If I do not let people know what they are, how is anyone  supposed to honor them. Interesting point: boundaries are not just walls, they are also doors. Deciding when to keep them closed and when to open them takes a bit of practice.

January 4, 2026 - Listen to Learn

Contrary to what most people think or presume, I don't know everything. Sometimes I am listening to what they say, in case I learn something.

Jan 3, 2026 - How important is it

 How Important is it. If it threatens my serenity, then it in itself is not important, but the fact that it affects my serenity warrants my getting rid of it promptly and without regret.

January 2, 2026 - But for the grace of god

One day last month, in church, the minister said that the Grace of God is a love that never lets go. I know that if not for the grace of the God I understand, I would very likely be drunk in a gutter or dead. Fortunately, He never let go of me even when I had let go of Him.                                               

January 1, 2026 - Daily Inventory

 Socrates said the unexamined life is not worth living. So, the practice of taking inventory of ourselves has been around for a while.