December Determination ~ AF ~Week 3

[Chillgirl]

December Determination ~ AF ~Week 3

I have been doing some reading on the Winter Solstice (tonight or tomorrow morning, depending on where you are in the world). I love the thoughts associated with tis time, that we are seeing the shift from the dark to the light, that we can be present through the longest night, and tomorrow will see the growth of a new, lighter world. That's really what we're doing here, isn't it, building the light up in ourselves to show us the path to freedom...so I wish one and all a wonderful night, and will greet you tomorrow with the strengthening light. I lift a glass of tea to toast our New Creations - ourselves

Thank you for these beautiful words!
I look forward to that lighter world.....

[dill]

December Determination ~ AF ~Week 3

Good morning/day/evening All!

Yes, A sober Christmas sounds very, very nice. In fact, it sounds like a must! I want to enjoy and be able to remember all of it. Having family in will be a help in that regard. I do not want to be drunk in front of my family. The greater challenge for me will be New Year's Eve. But I intend to start the new year AF, so that's that!!

Cyn, thanks for the reminder about Winter Solstice. I loved your thoughts about it.

That's really what we're doing here, isn't it, building the light up in ourselves to show us the path to freedom...
Lil, I hope your shopping isn't too hectic today! Will your mom be with you or will she just give you a list?

LBH, I do not want to live in the dark and private doom of addiction.

Neither do I. This post and Cyn's regarding the Solstice will go into my 'march from perdition' folder.

Hi Lav, Soots, and Red.

Have a good day, everyone.

[Lavande]

December Determination ~ AF ~Week 3

Good morning all!

Still very frosty but the sun is out

Happy winter to everyone! I'm with you Cyn on that lighted path to freedom!

Lil, happy shopping for your Mom. That's so nice that you can do those things for her - I'm sure she really appreciates it!

Dill, we should throw a party - right here on New Years Eve.............what do you think? I'll bring some munchies Staying AF on New Year's Eve is vital if you want to be AF in 2100!!!!!

Red - no dieting until next year

Greeting Sooty - I've been missing you lately. Hope your are staying warm in those Russian winds!

Lil, we did get a path cleared to the hen house - they're OK! It will be quite a while before they venture out again - they won't walk on the snow. With so much drifting, it was hard to measure the snowfall. I think we got about 17-18". The official total in Philadelphia was 23". We live an hr.+ southwest of there. Schools are opening 2 hrs. late here, they're closed in the city. But I really don't have to worry about that stuff anymore

Wishing everyone a terrific AF Monday - I'll check in later.

Lav

[ladybirdheart]

December Determination ~ AF ~Week 3

Hi and bye for now. I loved the quote, Cyn, about the winter sun; I think today he will be thinking about the the pink sands of Bermuda. Thank you for reminding us the light gets longer now both literally and in our spirits. Hi Lil, Dill, Lav, Red and everybody else to come. Love, Ladybird.

[mighty mouse]

December Determination ~ AF ~Week 3

Love reading your posts, I get such inspiration. Wish I had more time to address everyone but just popping in before all my kids roll out of bed.
Crazy busy but AF keeps it all easier and like you all I just want to enjoy my family and remember it all.
:l and Love to all DD's, MM

[sdlovespackers]

December Determination ~ AF ~Week 3

Good Morning ALL!!!

Took me a bit to catch up with everyone over the weekend! It's only been 2 days since I checked in, but it's weird that it seems like I've been away way longer!! Pretty nonstop at my house this weekend!! Lots of drinking....which I knew there would be....my counselor and I often talk about how alcohol seems to play such a HUGE role in all my families get togethers....or Thursdays, or doing dishes, or dying Easter eggs....you get my point...we've talked about how my whole relationship would chage with all of them if I stopped drinking for good. Anyway...the weekend wasn't as stressful as I thought it would be...my stepmom was behaving herself....my dad didn't get too out of hand when he got intoxicated (which my son was asleep for) and my sister and brother in law only came to the house once stoned (which I am still upset about)....as for me...I drank as well...my son and I talked about it (which I'm not sure that that's appropriate...I just let him know things would go back to "normal" when everyone left)....I didn't get drunk or anything like that....for some reason I knew if I didn't want to drink, I wouldn't have...I could have said no...it was like I said....well, since everyone is here...I kind of gave my slef permission...it was the dumbest thing....even when I'd have my first one...I'd think to myself....if you were here by yourself, is this something you'd "want' or be "craving"...the answer was always no!! I was drinking or opening a beer because at 5:00 that's just what everyone did at my house at that time....it's was so bizzare!!!

So, I'm back at work....glad to hear everyone had good weekends....well snowy and ones filled with shopping and wrapping...but hey, tis the season right?! I better get busy, but I'll check back in later! Hope everyone has a great Monday!!!
SD:l

[sooty]

December Determination ~ AF ~Week 3

Hi Dill, no I don't know anyone who got stuck on the train - I agree it must have been terrifying.
Hi Lav sorry we keep missing each other and I can't even begin to imagine your snow - we had about an inch last night and its caused traffic chaos!!!
Lil it doesn't get very cold here compared with the weather you lot get - its been -4C these last couple of nights.
Cyn thanks for the reminder about the winter solstice - its good to realise that the nights will get longer from now on .... spring is on its way
Hi to Red, MM, LBH -and all to come along - see you all later
love Sooty

[sooty]

December Determination ~ AF ~Week 3

hi SD good to see you, cross posted
Sooty

[sooty]

December Determination ~ AF ~Week 3

Kinda quiet on here today - guess we're all busy with shopping, wrapping and keeping warm.
nearly 10p.m. this end and I'm thinking of going to bed - Lav did you ever make a wheat bag? I find them very soothing to take to bed in this cold weather !
Keep warm and safe everyone - see you all tomorrow
Sooty

[Lavande]

December Determination ~ AF ~Week 3

Evening friends,

It's 10 pm & I need to go to bed but just wanted to pop in & say good night.
Had a surprise visit from my energizer bunny grandson this evening Man, that kid just keeps going & going!

Sooty, I never did get the wheat bag but somehow my neck is improving. I've been on a bedtime dose of a muscle relaxer for about 6 weeks, it finally kicked in. Geez, these things don't heal so quickly when you're over 29, ha ha!

I don't know if any of you have seen the 'Screw You' thread in the Help ASAP section - it was started about 2 months ago. Today I went on there & posted my continuing frustration with my nasty, unemployed, alcoholic older brother. I haven't seen or talked to him in the past 18 months. He has now become so paranoid & delusional he's slamming me on Facebook! I'm not responding to him & I've asked his wife to try to get him to stop. I just don't want to deal with him, he's extremely hostile.

Well, I do wish all of you nice people a good night, see you all tomorrow!
Lav

[cyntree]

December Determination ~ AF ~Week 3

Evening, all. (Morning, Sooty!) Have just spent hours trying to help route Mr Tree back to the desert from DC...he's been trying since Sunday, finally got himself as far as Indianapolis...if all goes well, he should arrive here tomorrow. Meanwhile, there is a huge storm headed for NE, where I was to go on the 23rd to be with my Mom....so I'm watching the National Weather Service website like a hawk, trying to decide if I should go early, later, not go at all. Problem is, no one else will be able to get there to be with her, and this is her favorite holiday. DARN!! Anyway, I'm trying to keep perspective.

Lil - I have two weimaraners, both rescues. The rescue organization saved my boy dog's life - he had been hit on the highway and left for dead. They saved him, and saved his badly broken leg (at 6 months) and we adopted him at 1 year. We also have a little girl weimy who is the best big sister a puppy could ask for. This morning I took the boy to a homeopathic vet, who used a Tibetan 'singing' bowl to quiet him and ground him (no kidding - and it really worked). It was fascinating to talk to her about elemental systems in the body, and cell connectedness, and vibrational therapies (as if I understand any of this). But I was so impressed with the effect that it had on my dog, that I started thinking about us, and about how we are working on raising the 'vibrational' levels around us...the candlelight, the fires, baths, good food, etc. Maybe we're instinctively going for the good stuff.

OK, I'll stop before I get thrown off the boards for being too New Agey!

Dill, Lav, Lil, MM, SD, LBH, and all; wishing you sweet dreams -

[cyntree]

December Determination ~ AF ~Week 3

Lav - cross post! So sorry about your brother's behavior. I think you're right not to respond...he's obviously on his own sad path.

MM - meant to say that you sound great -

SD - I was glad to read about your weekend - you seem pretty clearheaded about everything - thanks so much for relating it all.

[redhibiscus]

December Determination ~ AF ~Week 3

Happy December 22nd to all. I am so excited for Christmas. I woke up happy, my son is coming home today. We pick him up from the airport this evening, and the festivities will begin. Yes I have to work tomorrow, but I will be so busy and it will fly by.

Tonight when I get home I will bake and start the good smells going in the house. There are just some smells that say "It's Christmas."

Cyntree, I agree with you about the vibrational energies at this time of year. THat is what we do, we create positive energy in our homes for the holidays. I cook, bake, burn candles, the lights, other decorations, presents, music, church rituals....they are all energy producing. Even the animals feel it. I have some cats and they were excited when I wrapped presents, they knew which one was for them!

I know when I drink, the next day or later that night, my energy level is down, way low. Alcohol drains my spirit, hurts my body, and poisons the atmosphere. So no booze today, I am AF all the way.

Lav, sorry about your brother's behaviors...it sounds like he is hurting and wants to hurt you. I agree that not responding is the only way to handle it. Why add fuel to the fire. It is probably what he wants.

Have a great AF day, stay strong and keep the positive energies going.:h

[dill]

December Determination ~ AF ~Week 3

Good Morning/Day All!

I am so happy to be with this inspirational group! I made a big mistake yesterday though. I thought I should have some wine on hand for my daughter and SIL for when they arrive. I thought I could handle having it around. Well, I couldn't. If it is in the house, I will drink it. I didn't think I would, but I did. So, no wine in the house, not even for company. Anyone here surprised? When they arrive, they will have to go out and get wine (or whatever) if they want it. Chances are they will buy something that does not appeal to me. I will still have to struggle to keep away from it. Sigh.

OK, I'm not "hung over" but I drank more than a normal person, for sure. As Red said in her post about the affects of alc, my energy level is down and I am feeling kind of depressed. Ugh. This is where honesty and openness would be helpful. If I were brave, like some of you, I would just tell my daughter that I can not have al in the house. I would do as LBH and email her that she needs to bring her own as I have issues with alc. I would shout in a restaurant that I don't drink any more and stop everyone's conversations and forks in mid air. But I can't seem to do that. I just want to quietly quit.

SD, it looks like you and I are back to the begining! Well, not really. We have both come a really long way. And it is not always easy, but it is getting easier.

OK, today will be AF. It will be a day of relaxing and enjoying not being at work! It will be a day of last minute preparations. It will be a day of reflection.

I'll check in later. Have a great day all.

[lilmea]

December Determination ~ AF ~Week 3

Happy Tuesday before Christmas.

MM-Are you an empty nester? So many on here are so I was wondering if your kids were visiting.

SD-Some of the hardest patterns for us to break are the ones we have with our families. But your company will be gone soon and you can get back to normal.

Sooty-Wheat bag???

Lav-There are just some people we have to stay away from when we get af. And that can include family. Be proud that you are af and not responding to the drunken 'drama' :l

Cyn-Weimaramers are beautiful dogs. I do agree with you that all of us (animals and people) respond to anything that creates peace in out lives.

Red-How long will your son be staying? Will you have your whole family together for Christmas?

Dill-When I told my girls I wouldn't have any al in the house, they never gave it a second thought. I was surprised to realize that I was the only one who was worried about not having anything to drink. I guess that's part of the weird wiring I have in my head when it comes to al. You are right when you say we have come a long way since 'this time last year'

Wishing everyone a peaceful, af day.