Zero

. Because of the Spirit of the Universe,

which flows through us,

there is no zero.

There is always something;

a thought, a feeling, a soul,

that gives everyone and everything

the chance to be a part of this world.

Look at every morning as a zero, and learn to build up from there.

First, add onto your list the things you are grateful for,

the things that are freely given by a loving Higher Power.

Add to your list those things that you know you can do,

the talent and skills given to you by a Higher Power

so that you may do His will.

Things such as being kind to a friend.

Things such as being a loving family member, and remember,

if your blood family is no longer with you,

an extended family will work just as well.

Things such as providing for yourself and others

should always be on the list.

If you haven't noticed by now, you are not a zero.

Please note that everyone in the whole wide world awakes at zero every morning.

From zero to ... whatever, is a matter of choice;

choose how fast, but obey the speed laws, morally and ethically,

choose how far, but have a map so you do not get lost, emotionally,

choose how high, why not shoot for the moon, spiritually,

choose how low, spelunking and scuba are great adventures,

humbly, choose how much, always making sure there is enough to share.

"In truth, people can generally make time for what they choose to do;
it is not really the time but the will that is lacking." ~ Sir John Lubbock

Today, choose to have the will to do your best.

Today, let your best be the will of a loving Spirit of the Universe.

Today, be kind, be loving, be patient and tolerant, be forgiving,

and be the person your Higher Power wants you to be.

Happiness is knowing that you are not a zero.

Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

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ME and the Boss

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Ten

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On a scale

of one to ten,

with ten being the best,

God said we are all tens.

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Why should we argue with God's judgement

and become the judges of others character,

even when we know that our own character

may be less than the best.

We judge the character of others

so that we do not have to look

at our own eccentricities.

Guilt and shame are the result

of not doing the will of our Higher Power.

God does not hold grudges or keep score,

so why should we?

God gives us a chance to be a ten every day,

the choice is ours.

Be kind, smile at ten people today.

Be loving, tell someone in your life how special they are to you.

Be the ten your Higher Power wants you to be.

When all else fails, count to ten.

Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

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ME and the Boss

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PurrrrrrFect

"Animals are reliable, many full of love,

true in their affections, predictable in their actions, grateful and loyal.

Difficult standards for people to live up to.” ~ Alfred A. Montapert

Why does man have to complicate everything.

Survival means being competitive, if you are a wild animal.

Civilization means to put away ones anger, jealousies,

and fear that someone may get more than they deserve.

Animals can be tamed and domesticated,

how about man??

Remember to do your best to promote

World Peace and Harmony today, act civilized.

Better yet , act like the person your dog thinks you are.

Love, Peace, and Goodwill among men, are not reserved

for seasonal celebrations.

It is nice to have, it is better to share.

If all you have to give today is love and kindness,

you are the richest person in the world.

Adopt the characteristics of your pet,

they have plenty of patience and tolerance for you.

Make your Higher Power the head of your house.

The unseen guest at every meal.

The silent listener to every conversation.

Laugh loudly, love deeply and do your best to make this a

PurrrrrrFect World.

Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

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ME and the Boss

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Sorry

Sorry, look the word up in the dictionary

and you will see two definitions.

Definition number one means to feel regret
for someone else.

You are sorry that their turtle died,

you feel regret for their not feeling well.

Definition number two is dirty, despicable,

filthy, and miserable,

as in the bum was a sorry sight.

When someone says they are sorry to me,

I usually agree with them (definition number two).

Yes you are a despicable, miserable, lying bag of dirt.

When dealing with an alcoholic or an addictive personality

the word sorry means that that person is being given permission

to repeat their bad habits.

Sorry Mom, I don't know what happened to the money.

Sorry Dad, I don't know how the car was dented.

Sorry Honey, I didn't remember it was the kids birthday party.

If I make a mistake today, and my wife allows me one mistake per year,

I have learned to apologize. A simple excuse me will usually suffice.

Sorry has become the most misused and abused word in the American vocabulary.

When the situation requires an apology look the other person in the eye

and with truth and conviction explain the errors of your ways.

Promise to yourself and the other person to behave like a real human being

in the future.

Please do not run to the dictionary to look up the definition of sorry.

I did use some literary license to make a moral point.

I hope the point was not missed.

Want to improve your memory??

Stop lying.

Friday Noon

.

Fifth month,

Fifth Step,

The Daily Reflections

reading for this date

quoted from the

Twelve and Twelve

about how necessary

to longtime sobriety

and peace of mind

it is to complete this step. .

.

Todays noon meeting of Let Go & Let Go group

took this reading and laughed their way through

the reflections of the character defects

that no one thought or knew that they had.

There were also a few remarks

in advance of Mother's Day where members

reflected on the patience of mothers and wives

who were kind enough to ignore the character defects.

As usual a great meeting

where all were grateful to be sober.

Many noted that there was real satisfaction

in working even the difficult steps four and five

when they were rewarded with a life

that was happy, joyous and free.

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ME

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Happy

Anniversary

to ME

4-28-1993 .

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A week late posting...

The Tuesday Promises Meeting was celebration day,

the last Tuesday in the month and there were two celebrants,

ME and a young lady celebrating 28 years.

Since I was the younger in years celebrating

I was elected to tell my story first.

I only lied a little.

Funny thing, it was the same story I told the last time,

in sobriety I can now remember all of the lies I told.

I am glad I went first because the young ladies story

is very strong and it would have been a hard act

for me to follow.

Even though the group had heard our stories before

they were still very attentive and told us

that they were appreciative.

We had a larger than average attendance,

not too sure if it was the speakers

or the pizza and cake

that brought them to the meeting.

I am making a promise to get current on the meeting reports.

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ME and the Boss

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Last Friday

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Ate a cupcake,

where is my

will power ? ? ?

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One of the things I have learned in the rooms of AA

is that alcoholic drinks are made from fermented sugars

and once you stop drinking alcoholic beverages

the mind continues to crave the sugar and many soon

discover that they have substituted a new bad habit

for the old one.

Craving sugar, carbohydrates, candy, donuts, cakes,

pasta, bread, becomes the new bad habit

and if not watched carefully weight gain

can become a bigger problem.

.

The "Steps We Take" Friday night's men's meeting

always reads a tradition on the last Friday of the month.

The tradition number corresponds to the month so this night

we read and discussed the Fourth Tradition.

The last Friday of the month is also sober anniversary

celebration night and as Jack was celebrating two years sober

we had cup cakes to celebrate. I ate two ...

.

There is no such thing as a bad meeting,

it is just that some meetings are better than others,

the Men's Friday night meeting never fails to be one of the best.

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ME and the Boss

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Promises Group

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Tuesday,

5:00 PM

Spring Hill,

Florida

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Went to a meeting

and a bunch of drunks talked about

the fourth of the 9th step promises

found on pages 84 and 85 of the

Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous.

.

"We will comprehend the word serenity

and we will know peace."

.

Sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly,

the group shared about when they first felt serene,

when they learned to quiet the noisy mind

and they found peace.

After doing the steps, mostly the fourth and fifth,

when the wreckage of the past was identified,

many first discovered peace and serenity.

For some it was following the ninth step,

when the amends were made,

when the guilt and shame were relieved

following the admission of errors

made while under the influence.

Many long timers noted that they

continue to come to meetings

because this is where they recharge their batteries,

where they connect with their program

and subsequently regain that feeling

of serenity and peace,

especially when life is throwing

lemons and bricks at them.

Love a good meeting, thanks to Bobby W. for chairing.

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ME

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Common Strivings

. "We recovered alcoholics

are not so much

brothers in virtue

as we are brothers

in our defects,

and in our common strivings

to overcome them."


.

Bill W. Letter, 1946

.

A funny thing happened at the men's Friday meeting,

a young lady showed up.

She accompanied a couple of young men

and since they all said that they needed a meeting

they were invited to participate in the meeting.

The topic was the last nine pages of the Twelfth Step.

As usual, the sage men of the fellowship shared

their experience, strength and hope on the topic

and most expressed their gratitude for sobriety,

the program and a loving Higher Power.

My friend Brian now has a drivers license

but has yet to secure some wheels.

No big deal, I enjoy his company as we talk recovery

before and after the meetings.

God bless and may all of your meetings be better ones.

.

Michael E.

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No Ego's

. A whole month ? ? ?

Went to a bunch of meetings,

just forgot to post.

Friday, 4-3-15,

Step in the Right Direction,

men's meeting.

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.

.

Brian has not yet had his drivers license reinstated

so it has been my pleasure to take him to some meetings.

The meeting topic was the Eleventh Step.

Following Friday's meeting he posed some typical questions;

what made this meeting so special ? ? ?

is it weird that I can feel the serenity in the room ? ? ?

why did I not hear any drunk-a-logs ? ? ?

There is no such thing as a bad meeting, it is just that

some meetings are better than others,

why is this a better meeting ? ? ?

The answers :

The men at this meeting are very serious about their recovery

and the smiles, the closed eyes, the nodding heads all add to

the sense of serenity which can almost be felt.

There are no egos.

The topic is the only thing discussed and living in today,

not drinking today and doing the next right thing

are the focus of everyone's message.

Today, wishing you a better meeting.

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ME and the Boss

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The Whole Body Smile

 

Written a long time ago,

time to reprise, I need a smile.

 

The Whole Body Smile

Smile, it makes them wonder what you are up to.

No, not that smarmy, guilty looking grin that the Cheshire Cat wore

to help make Alice into the star she is today.

No, not that slight curvature of the corners of your mouth

that you force onto your face when the little old lady

pinches your cheek.

Yes, your real smile, the one that goes from the top of your

head all the way down to your toes, “the whole body smile.”

Never heard of it, don't know how to do it??

Just follow these simple instructions, these twelve easy steps:

1) Be happy:  It is an attitude, just do it.

2) Clear your brain of any activity:  (Like thinking) For most of us
there is no effort required, this is better known as our normal state of mind.

3) Open your eyes:  Sparkling, smiling, laughing eyes are beautiful to behold
and the wonder is how those smiling eyes see things more clearly.
Every day something new is born into this world.
Smile, God made it just for you to enjoy.

4) Shut your mouth:  You cannot hear when your mouth is moving,
nor can you smile when you mouth is moving.

5) Clean out your ears:  Listen closely to others and heed the word of God.
God has endowed man with the ability to make beautiful music,
learn to listen and listen to enjoy.

6) Relax.: Ever notice that the back of your neck is always tense,
bad habit, smiles make the stress go away.

7) Follow your heart:  Love enormously, love often and smile when you think of
those that you love. Remember that you may like things, you may enjoy things,
you may want things, but your only need is to love people, God and pets.

8) Hug everything, even trees: God has given you two arms and two hands
so that you may hold onto those things that make you smile, however,
we must remember that God’s will may take those things from us at anytime
and we must let go and learn to smile when we remember the good times.
Hand in hand we will do for each other what we cannot do alone
If you are holding my hand I cannot pick up a drink.

9) Trust your gut feelings: God has given you the intuitive instincts
to protect your feelings from being hurt.
Learn to smile when you say "I told you so."

10) Move out of the way: God has given you two legs to allow you
to motivate your body to places that are happy.
Go there.
Smile in anticipation while you are moving towards your happy destination,
and make the smile even larger when you have reached your goal.

11) Dance: God has given you two feet to celebrate the rest of your body.
Don't think about it, don't talk about it, see it, feel it, trust it,
listen to the music and move to the rhythm of God's earth.

12) Toes know: When your toes are happy,
you will know you have learned “the whole body smile.”

Smile, this is God's candid camera watching you do his will.

Be yourself...everyone else is already taken.

The Doctors orders are to repeat the process as often as necessary and share
with everyone whom you think would also benefit from “The Whole Body Smile.”

SMILE :)

Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

Michael_e    :)

Tuesdays Promises 4-3-15

The Promises Group

...

Tuesday @ 5:00

.

Ninth step promises,

#11 from page 84

of the Big Book.

.

We will intuitively

know how to handle

situations which used to

baffle us.

.

Great meeting as usual, lots of strength and hope

shared by all who participated.

The person who selected this promise related that

their sponsor had recently died but because of

what he learned in the rooms it was not a reason

to drink.

Many others who knew the deceased

praised his recovery and his example of how

the program should be lived.

Great to see a few new faces at the meeting.

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ME and the Boss

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Group Conscience

.

A day or two behind;

Friday, noon at Cabrini

and the usual souls

were in attendance,

give or take a few.

.

The topic bounced

but it was mainly based on the

daily readings and of course

not drinking one day at a time.

.

The Daily Reflections topic was how the group conscience

kept A. A. on track and what the role of the long timer,

the elder statesmen and stateswomen, was in making

sure that the groups primary purpose did no waver.

Some less than humble long timers had something to say,

most of the long timers just sat quietly and nodded their heads.

.

Saturday ; 1;00 PM on Century Drive,

Just the core group and the discussion was

mainly focused on the miracles that recover.

Where were the new comers ???

also took some discussion time,

attraction rather than promotion,

court appointed, drugs,

the demographics of living in Florida

where there are lots of older

and long time fellowship members.

.

Just keep coming back ...

ME and the Boss

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Saturday

February 21, 2015

1: 00  PM

.

.

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A friend has recently started

a Saturday afternoon meeting.

A few of us are showing up regularly however,

more support will be needed to keep the meeting going.

.

It only takes two to have a meeting

and we were fortunate to have more than a few attend.

.

Great meeting with the topic of "One day at a time"

The sharing related stories when, as new comers,

the thought was not drinking one day at a time

and as the twenty four hours passed the program

worked its magic the thoughts become how to live

a life doing the will of a Higher Power

one day at a time.

Everyone shared positive messages

of experience, strength and hope.
.

Keep coming back ...

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ME and the Boss

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,

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Friday, 2-20-15

Noon Meeting

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.

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Chilly winter day, television sucks, and I

have these thoughts that need to find a home.

Had an idea and the result is going to be

a few comments on the meeting (s)

that I attend, on the day I attend them.

Todays reading from the Daily Reflections

talked about the laughter found at a meeting

and the group held to this as a topic.

This is a regular meeting for me because

this group may find a topic but the underlying theme

is always about not drinking one day at a time,

the main reason I go to a meeting.

The main idea was that the happy, joyous and free

members have learned to laugh with each other,

not at each other.

We shared the silly, stupid things that we did while

we were drinking and the inane thoughts we used

to justify, deny our behaviors and we all laughed.

Great meeting.

There is no such thing as a bad meeting,

it is just that some meetings are better than others,

today was one of the best.

.

ME