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.