Weekly AA Thread - Week of April 5 - 11

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of April 5 - 11

Well, I just got the news I've been dreading. It's confirmed that Sister has breast cancer. The doctor told her they caught it early so I really hope she can get a full recovery. I want to focus on treasuring every moment with her.

DG

[dancelot]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of April 5 - 11

DG - I'm sorry to hear that. I will keep her in my prayers. And yes, do treasure every moment. Take care. :l :h

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of April 5 - 11

Thank you Dance. Prayer is a very powerful thing in her world especially. I have to tell a funny story. A couple weeks ago Sister and another sister who she is close with, and another AAer and I (four of us) went to breakfast. Sister had never met the other AAer. We had an awesome time. At some point during the conversation, the other AAer mentioned that she has someone living in her house "until she gets a job." This other AAer was really hoping for the "visitor" to GET a job so that person can move on. Sister said "I will pray for your unwanted house guest to get a job." The other sister said "I will too."

:H A few days later I saw the other AAer at a meeting and she screamed (while laughing) MY ROOM MATE GOT A JOB!! NOW I HOPE SISTER WILL PRAY FOR HER TO KEEP IT!!! :H

As we have come to say in my world.....THAT'S Nun-a-pa-LOO-za.

I love Sister and she has been such a blessing in my life no matter how much or how little time we end up with. (and who knows - *I* may not have tomorrow! we just never know)

DG

[catch22]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of April 5 - 11

Hi everyone,
Just catching up on the reading....
DG, sorry to hear about sister, she sound like a good laugh. she will be in my prayers....
love the bit about bottom, Physical, mental, and spiritual, Wow Alcohol took all three away from me. NOW i have to get all three back but it not going to happen over night, i realise this, the more time i stay sober the more i realise what AL has done to ME. This thing has to be done very slowly...AA says easy does it!
Mary, enjoy your vacation with your son.
you know i dont take my sobriety for granted there a part of me that is scared to drink i think there is something telling me now that if i was to take a drop that is it for me. It funny i do have this one thinking thought that wont seem to go away maybe i share it next time and someone might have the answer to why im thinking like that......
Phil, what you say, thats what i love about AA, the love caring and the concern in the room is amazing.
cinders, good to see you i have not been to AA meeting yet outside my area. I wil look forward to reading your post.
Gyco, it always good to read your post, love the bit about it best to read and listen then open ones mouth. there was a guy at AA meeting that goes to my counselling sessions he keep on jumping in when someone was speaking. (The thing is counselling sessions are so differet to AA meetings.) Even when the guy told him that we listen first and let the person finish and we all can have a turn if we need to share. We can learn a lot from just listening and reading
There is a guy that ask me yesterday what one do i like best counselling or AA, i realise this time round i need both i know my counselling sessions will not last forever but AA will always be there for me i have learn a lot about me this time at my counselling sessions and it has help me, but i know im going to be learning a lot more as well at AA about myself maybe things i dont like to hear but that ok.
Dancelot, it funny i never use to feel guilty, but at the end i did when i realise the people around me who i was hurting.
Theres is a woman at my counselling sessions who is desperate to get into rehab she will be waiting a long time she cant afford to pay twenty thousand pounds a lot of money, the most important think is the after care, afterwards. I suppose I do feel like im doing my after care, even though i have not been in rehab, some people can stop drinking and dont need after care.........
Right im leaving it there until next time round, once again Thankyou All for sharing.:l

[cpn1004]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of April 5 - 11

Greetings all,
I went to a meeting near the Atlanta airport last night. Great group and meeting.. As it was getting started a man was placing "12 & 12" books in front of us. I remarked that ....gee...I was at a 12 & 12 meeting the night before, "what's this another 12 $ 12 meeting". He said "well, did you drink every day?"........ LOL.
Hmmmmm....maybe my HP is telling me something.

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of April 5 - 11

Good morning! Catch, I think it's awesome that you have both counseling and AA to help you along. I find it so reassuring to know that AA will always be there for however long I need it, which in my case will likely be forever. That's OK! I also find it amazing how respectful everyone typically is in meetings about following the protocol and not interrupting each other, etc. If anyone over steps their bounds in the meetings I go to, the situation is handled calmly and usually privately - i.e. coaching a person after the meeting rather than embarrassing them in front of the group! I love that part of AA. It has also taught me to listen to everyone with respect, whether I agree with them or not, like them or not, etc. I have "grown up" in my attitudes and behaviors toward people just by sitting there and going along with the meeting protocol.

Phil, :H about two 12 &12's in a row! Good point the guy made about drinking every day. I've often heard people say that HP must have been intervening when a topic of relevance kept coming up over and over. My step coach has mentioned how he didn't want to do a 5th step revealing his secrets to another person. He thought he would just skip that part. Then he says everywhere he went, people would be talking about 5th step and it wasn't even May. :H So you will have to let us know in a few more days (or whatever) just what you think the message is! I too love the idea that I could walk into a meeting anywhere and feel at home. That is very comforting.

The meeting this morning was on the 24-hours a day reading. I often read that one before I leave the house with Sister, and we did that today. So I knew what the reading was before I got to the meeting. I like many many of the 24-Hours a day readings. But as many of you have probably heard, lots of the old timers don't like that book read in AA meetings because 1) it's not approved AA literature and 2) many think it crosses the line of religious material. I don't have that strong opinion about it, but I did think todays reading was one that maybe crosses that line for me.

That realization was good - it gave me a chance to think about what I would say. I realized there was a time when I probably would have wanted to comment about how I thought it was "overly religious" and not appropriate. I realized today that nobody needs or wants to hear my opinion on that level. People can form their own opinions without my help. I chose to pass and just listen today. Lots of other people did too, which brought up another "in the old days..." issue for my consideration. There was a time when I would have wanted to run around after the meeting and ask people if they chose not to speak for the same reason I did. Today it totally didn't matter to me. Other people's reasons to speak or not are none of my business, and I don't need a "crowd" doing what I do for the reasons I do it in order to justify my choices. This is really good progress for me and so I'm very grateful for this reading! It gave me a chance to examine some important things.

Thank you for your prayers for Sister. I let her know that she has prayer support globally from some other recovering alkies. That made her happy.

DG

[cpn1004]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of April 5 - 11

Dg, it's funny, both meetings were on Traditions. Tradition 2 and 4 were the topics. So I guess I needed to pay more attention to them.
It is always such fun to attend strange meetings.

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Week of April 5 - 11

Hello fellow travelers! (literally for you Phil!) Mary, I hope you are having a great time.

It's been a busy weekend - life keeps getting better and more robust! My Sunday 12&12 meeting was great this morning. We read the Chapter to the Agnostic in the BB and discussed Step 2. One guy with a lot of time under his belt (and knowledge of the steps and traditions) made a connection that I found enlightening between Step 2 and Tradition 2. Just confirms that as a group we are far more "powerful" than any of us as individuals. I've also been really absorbing the use of the words "we" "our" etc. in the Steps rather than "I" "my" etc. Not something new - just giving it a lot of thought lately. I think it's cool that the very first word of the Steps is "We" rather than "I." Bill and Bob must have put a ton of effort into the final wording of this stuff.

I can also add another thing to my growing list of stuff I've now done for the very first time sober. Bowling! I wasn't planning to actually bowl - just go and have fun visiting. But when I saw Sister out there somehow getting a ball down the lane, I went and got some shoes! We had a great time and my chiro will surely be earning her money tomorrow. I can't wait for the canoe trip.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

DG